Galapagos! After dreaming of visiting the unique islands off the coast of Ecuador for so many years, the day finally came - I was heading out!
We arrived in plenty of time at the Quito airport - wanted to be sure we had plenty of time for all the pre-boarding rituals. But as it turned out, the airport is incredibly streamlined and we were in the departure lounge within 15 minutes of our arrival. The flight - with a stop in Guayaquil - was long but uneventful. I was there at last! The Galapagos Islands!
Our guide, Roberto Naranjo, met us at the airport and escorted our group of 18 to a bus. 20 minutes later we arrived at a ferry which would take us to another island, then a long 45-minute bus ride to reach the Galaxy - our home for the next four days - where a delicious lunch was awaiting.
It didn't long for the entire crew of 18 people to eat and head back out for a bus trip to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island to see turtles. The bus pulled up to a ranch in the middle of the hills and we all piled out and walked to a field populated by dozens of enormous tortoises.
Historically, the Galapagos Islands have had 14 species of tortoises, Unfortunately, three of those species are now extinct, leaving only 11 remaining. The particular type of turtle we were watching, Geochelone Elephantopus, exists in only two places on earth - the Galapagos and the Seychelles off the coast of Africa. Years ago, the tortoise was in serious danger of extinction due to pirates and other sailors capturing the turtles for food. Because the females are so much smaller than males, the pirates took them as they were easier to carry off the island, which led to a severe decrease in birth rate. Now, with intervention from scientists and other concerned individuals, there is a healthy population on the islands.
From there, we made our way a short distance to a lava tunnel. The Galapagos Islands are volcanic in nature and one can see many signs of their volcanic beginnings throughout the archipelago. Lava tunnels are formed as a river of lava makes its way down the sides of the mound toward the sea. The outside layer, exposed to the surrounding air, cools and hardens. The lava trapped inside, however, remains liquid and continues to flow. This leads to a hollow tunnel. Over time, the roof of the tunnel collapses in various locations creating entrances into the tunnel.
I was tired by the time we arrived back at The Galaxy for a briefing on tomorrow's events and dinner, but thrilled to be in the Galapagos at last. I couldn't wait to see what the next couple of days would bring!
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You may be interested in these articles about our visit to various islands:
A brief history of the Galapagos Islands
The Galapagos Islands from John Vogel on Vimeo.
Comments
Amazing pics of the turtles. They are enormous.
What an experience! Did you see blue-footed boobies? They are so rare. But your sea turtle shots are spectacular!
We saw lots of blue-footed boobies! We walked right through their nesting area and saw a bunch of downy babies - too cute!
I agree Ted - those tortoises are enormous!
The Galapagos Islands are the most incredible living museum of evolutionary changes, with a huge variety of exotic species (birds, land and sea animals, plants) and landscapes not seen anywhere else.
www.galapagos-islands-tourguide.com
cannot wait, i'm going in march :):)
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