Travelogue

Pre-dawn landing on Mosquera IslandThis was our last morning waking up on the boat. It felt weird to think it was over. We had gotten so used to our routine and the wonderful people we were spending time with.

However, we had one more fun stop before getting to the airport on Baltra Island.

While it was still dark, we loaded up on the pangas for a wet landing on tiny Mosquera Island, so small that I almost couldn’t find it on the map.

Here comes the sunIt’s located between Baltra (where we would fly out of) and North Seymour Island, which we had visited on our first night arriving in the Galapagos. We had seen and experienced so much over the last 10 days, that that felt like months ago.

It’s basically just a long, narrow sand spit with a large population of sea lions, plus some marine iguanas and Sally Lightfoots.

Hey buddyAfter a wet landing, they let us loose to run free on the beach. We looked as excited as kindergartners being let out for recess.

The sun hadn’t even come up yet when we arrived, so we got to watch the animals wake up as well, many of the sea lions looking pretty sleepy. I could relate.

Warming up with the sunWe saw our old friends, the marine iguanas, draping themselves over a beautiful white rock, trying to catch the first morning rays to warm up their cold-blooded bodies. Their black against the brilliant while of the rocks made for a nice contrast in the early morning light.

Sally LightfootWe too stood on the shoreline watching the sun make its first appearance above the horizon. Herb captured it rising between my outstretched legs as if I was some sun goddess willing it to rise.

The sea lions were very cute, playful, and friendly, some of them even coming up and touching us - not the aggressive male bulls, but the cute little ones. They rolled in the sand, played in the surf, and even posed for us.

Well-timed rainbowThe Sally Lightfood crabs were out and about, busy scurrying around the shoreline. Two of them looked like Sumo wrestlers about to do battle. I saw my first one running down a hill - he looked quite different from his more dignified stationary pose.

We even saw some spotted stingrays swimming along the shoreline.

When the time to leave approached, a beautiful rainbow crossed the sky over the sea - a magical ending to a magical vacation.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: sea lions, marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs

Travelogue

Hike up Punta PittThis was it. Our last full day in the Galapagos. Tomorrow we fly back to Quito and then home. It seemed like we had been here for a very long time, but still I didn’t want it to end.

While we slept, our trusty captain moved us from Espanola to San Cristobal, the easternmost island in the archipelago and also the provincial capital. It was the site of the first human settlement in the Galapagos and the first island Charles Darwin visited in 1835.

Blue-footed boobiesThe island was formed by four large shield volcanoes fused together by successive lava flows to form a single island.

We began our day with an early morning wet landing on Punta Pitt, a volcanic tuff formation that serves as a nesting site for many sea birds - all three types of boobies, both types of frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls, and storm petrels.

Red-footed booby in flightFrom the beach, it’s a fairly strenuous hike uphill (two hours round trip) to the top of tuff, where it flattens out into a beautiful landscape of tuff cones, colorful vegetation, panoramic views of the sea, and seabirds everywhere.

There were lovely views along the way and once on top the red vegetation and rocky cliffs over the sea were stunning.

View from top of Punta PittIt is the only site in the Galapagos where you can see all three species of boobies (blue-footed, red-footed, and Nazca) and two species of frigatebirds (Magnificent and Great) nesting in the same area.

Since the boobies have very different nesting preferences - red-footed boobies nest in the bushes, Nazca boobies nest in the cliffs, and the blue-footed boobies in the middle of the trails - you won’t find them next to each other.

Snorkeling with the sea lionsAlso, since there is no competition between them for food, they get along just fine when they do meet, because they don’t have to compete to survive.

We came across our old friends (and my personal favorite), the blue-footed boobies, playfully, dancing, flirting, and nesting right in our path.

View of Kicker Rock from Cerro Brujo BeachThey have such personality and attitude that it’s hard not to anthropomorphize and think you know what they are thinking.

The red-footed boobies were much harder to find, because they nest in the bushes, and there is inevitably a branch or more blocking their cute little faces. Or, they were flying through the air, just close enough that we could detect their red feet.

Cueva del BrujoWe found two out of the three species of boobies - the Nazca boobies were nowhere to be found. They build their nests in cliffs, so I have a feeling they were down near the beautiful volcanic cliffs overlooking the sea.

It was a lovely hike, one of the nicest we had done this trip.

Back on the Tip Top IV, we switched gears, donned our wetsuits and headed out on the pangas to hopefully snorkel with the sea lions, as Tui and Monica thought was a strong possibility.

Farewell Party on the upper deckBoy, were they right. We spent an hour with literally dozens of sea lions doing acrobatics in the water, zipping between our legs, swimming upside down, and so many other entertaining things. It was crazy and so exhilarating!

Later that afternoon we went for a panga ride to Cerro Brujo, a beautiful white coral sand beach and lagoon. It was one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin in the 1830s.

From the beach, we had our first view of Kicker Rock, one of the Galapagos’s most iconic landmarks, and one of the things I most wanted to see. It is the remnants of a vertical tuff cone formation that rises 500 feet above the ocean. It is striking.

Circling Kicker RockThe sheer walled volcanic tuff cone has been eroded in half with a narrow channel in between, giving it its characteristic shape of a sleeping Lion (Leon Dormido).

After strolling the beach for a while, we went back out in kayaks and the pangas to Cueva del Brujo, an arch through which there is a great view of Kicker Rock.

We also cruised into an inlet that ended with cliffs hundreds of feet high surrounding us on three sides.

Happy CoupleIt was quite the day, but it wasn’t over yet. Tonight was the big farewell party back on the ship. Tui surprised us with a bottle of rum and some guava juice, which we thoroughly enjoyed on the upper deck, while the ship slowly circled Kicker Rock as the sun went down.

It was probably one of the most amazing sunsets of an entire trip full of amazing sunsets. The sky went from yellow and reds, to bright red, to orange all in a span of 45 minutes.

We laughed, we hugged, we took photos of each other. We had become quite the family over the last 10 days.

It was going to be tough going home tomorrow.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: Blue-footed boobies, red-footed boobies, sea lions

Travelogue

Landing on Punta Suarez,After cruising through the night, we woke up anchored off the island of Española, the southernmost and oldest island in the Galapagos.

This island is famous for being the breeding site for waved albatross, an amazing bird with a 2.5 meter wingspan, known for their less than graceful landing, where many of them just fall over when they hit the ground.

Christmas iguanaUnfortunately, we were a month too early for their arrival. No reason for complaint though, because March is one of the best months to visit the Galapagos as so many other animals are mating then.

We started our day with a 6:00 a.m. dry landing on Punta Suarez, on the western tip of Española, where we were greeted by sea lions, also starting their day.

Christmas Iguana and his little buddyFrom there, we took a trail inland across to the other side of the point.

It wasn’t too long before we met the Española marine iguana, who during breeding season (which luckily for us was now) turns a bright red and green, earning it the nickname Christmas Iguana.

All the many marine iguanas we had met to date on the other islands were black, but on this remote island, the marine iguanas have evolved in their own distinct way. It is thought that their coloring might be the result of eating algae endemic to Española.

Lava LizardThey look like contestants in an Ugly Christmas Sweater contest, except theirs is quite unique and beautiful.

They obviously liked climbing rocks and sunning themselves.

Continuing inland along the trail, we came to a series of tall rock formations where a colony of Nazca boobies was nesting. The Nazca Boobies are the largest of the Galapagos boobies, so they nest on high rocks to give themselves a bit of takeoff assistance from the wind.

Nazca Booby feeding her hatchlingNazca boobies just recently graduated to being their own species. They were previously thought to be a subspecies of the naked booby, but they were differentiated from the masked booby due to its larger size, breeding range, and bill color.

They are beautiful white birds with black feathers on their tales. The males have yellow or orange beaks, while the females beaks are a paler pink. Somewhat unusual for the animal kingdom, the female is larger than the male. Unlike the more flamboyant blue-footed and red-footed boobies, Nazca feet are gray.

Nazca Booby nesting areaThe white, fuzzy little hatchlings were adorable, but I later found out that these little fuzzballs had a dark side and practiced what is known as obligate siblicide.

Unlike the other boobies, Nazca boobies often lay two eggs, a couple of days apart. One of the hatchlings then proceeds to kick the other one out of the nest to avoid competing for food. It gets worse. The mom does nothing about the situation - no scolding or “time out” for the bully sibling. She doesn’t even acknowledge the unwanted chick and it quickly dies from either starvation, temperature change, or predation. Her excuse: she only has the energy and resources to raise one chick.

Serious Nazca boobyThis process might seem cruel, but I guess it is an evolutionary adaptation that helps the survival of the Nazca booby species by only allowing the fitter ones to grow up and procreate.

Another interesting fact about the Nazca boobies, which I’m kind of glad we didn’t see, is that they are prey to the vampire finches, who peck away at the Nazcas and feed on their blood. The boobies hardly even take notice.

Wow! It’s not all sunshine and roses in the Galapagos, but that’s what evolution is all about - adaptive behaviors and traits to survive.

Blue-footed booby nesting in the trailLater along the trail (and I mean literally along the trail), we saw blue-footed boobies incubating their eggs. They could care less about our presence.

So, just when I thought we had seen it all, we got to meet two new creatures: the Christmas marine iguana and the Nazca Booby.

Snorkeling with sea lionsThen it was back to the boat to get into our wetsuits and get back in the pangas for our late morning snorkel, which I think was near Turtle Rock. We saw lots of sea lions zipping about, Mexican hogfish, Giant hawkfish, King angelfish, and more.

Back on the Tip Top IV, we had lunch and were given some free time. Herb and I immediately headed to the upper deck to claim two lounge chairs, where we spent a delightful, relaxing hour reading and snoozing before the ship bell rang calling us back into action.

Cuddling sea lionsWe all piled onto the pangas and cruised over to a beautiful crescent Beach on Gardner Bay with a sea lion colony.

Once on the beach we were able to wander among the Sea Lion colony, while they rolled in the sand, played in the surf, lined up to take a nap in what looked like a long line of sausages, and other cute things.

Black-tipped sharks feeding frenzyWe did have to remember to give the males a wide berth though because they can be a little defensive if you get too near them or their territory.

Another good day, but there was one more bit of excitement still to come. After our evening briefing and dinner, we are all usually so exhausted that we retire to our cabins and pass out.

Just as we finished our dinners, a crew member called us to come quickly outside onto the deck. He said something about sharks.

Flying fishHe wasn’t kidding. Dozens of black-tipped sharks were churning up the water in a feeding frenzy. One of the crew members held up a flying fish that had landed in the boat when trying to escape from the sharks.

And to think we snorkeled with these guys - although those were much smaller.

We all stayed up way past our bedtimes watching the frenzy. For all we knew, it went on all night.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: sea lions, Christmas marine iguanas, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, sea lions zipping about underwater, Mexican hogfish, Giant hawkfish, King angelfish, and more.

Travelogue

Cruising into Puerto Ayora on Santa CruzBright and early (as usual) we got on the pangas and cruised over to Puerto Ayora, an actual city with people in it, on Santa Cruz Island.

Santa Cruz Island is the center of Galapagos tourism. About half the island’s 18,000 residents live in or around the town of Puerto Ayora.

Giant Saddleback TortoiseI must say, it was a bit of a shock to see man-made structures, cars, and so many people again.

For the last 7 days, we had been as isolated from civilization as Charles Darwin and the crew of the Beagle had been in the 1830s - no interference from the outside world, no man-made anything - just us and the delightful wildlife in a quiet, pristine world.

I’m not sure I was ready for this.

Giant Saddleback TortoiseWe spent the morning visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station, established in 1959 with the mission of the preservation and conservation of the plants and animals of the Galapagos Islands.

At the Visitor Center we saw “saddleback” tortoises, which are very different from the “domed” tortoises we saw a few days back on Isabela Island, or the ones we would see later today at the Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise Reserve.

The domed tortoises have more rounded carapaces (shells), while the saddleback carapaces are flatter with an upward curve to the front, which allows them to stretch up to reach higher growing plants.

Hatchling being raised at the centerSaddlebacks tend to live on arid islands and feed mostly on cactus - that’s why they need those long necks, while the domed-shell tortoises live on more vegetated islands and feed primarily on grass.

The Charles Darwin Research Station became quite famous in 1971 when it became the home to “Lonesome George,” the last remaining Pinta Island giant saddleback tortoise. Scientists and researchers rushed to find him a mate, but George simply was uninterested and no offspring were ever produced.

Lolo and Lonesome GeorgeSadly, in 2012 Lonesome George was found dead in his corral at the Tortoise Breeding and Rearing Center, marking the extinction of the Pinta species of tortoise.

Because of his fame, George was frozen and shipped to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City to be preserved by taxidermists. Not sure when, but he has been returned to the Charles Darwin Research Center, where he has been placed in a specially designed building with a cooling system to preserve him.

As we solemnly stood before his taxidermied remains, I honored him by stretching my neck as far as I could. After all, imitation is the highest form of flattery,

Lolo empathizing with a tortoiseOk, so if Pinta Island saddlebacks are extinct, what were we seeing wandering around the Breeding Center? Was this some kind of Jurassic Park? Well, maybe close. Based on much googling, I think scientists were able to find tortoises on other islands with DNA showing that they were hybrid Pinta tortoises. Maybe these guys are the offspring? - but don’t take my word on that.

The Research Center also supports a program of collecting tortoise eggs from various islands where they have been threatened to extinction. The eggs are then incubated and hatchlings are raised for several years until they are ready to be reintroduced to their native Islands.

They all had numbers on their back, which I assumed identified which islands they came from so they could be re-introduced to the right place.

Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise ReserveMy favorite was #15, a feisty little fella with big dreams who wasn’t going to let a little ledge get between him and his buddy. I could almost hear him thinking, “I think I can, I think I can.”

Unfortunately, his dreams clashed with reality and the result was a face plant.

Our final activity at the Research Center was me, trying to empathize with the tortoise, by crawling inside a tortoise shell. Getting in was a lot easier than getting out.

Next we all piled in a van and drove us to the Rancho Primicias Giant Tortoise Reserve, located up in the Santa Cruz highlands, where we would be able to enjoy giant tortoises in their natural habitat.

While wandering the grounds, Tui started running towards some rather loud and weird moaning and groaning sounds in the distance. You can never go wrong following Tui, so several of us started running behind her. Unfortunately, Herb was nowhere to be found.

Mating Giant Domed TortoisesMarch is a great time to visit the Galapagos as it is the mating season, so there is lots of interesting action going on.

Sure enough, there was a male giant tortoise climbing on a much smaller tortoise, which was the female. We couldn’t even see her head. I think she might have had it tucked in. After more moaning and groaning, he rolled off her and walked away. What a romantic. I’m sorry Herb missed it.

After lunch at the Preserve, we returned to Puerto Ayora and were set loose to explore on our own.

Herb enjoying the Santa Cruz BreweryWe’re not big shoppers, but we do like to come home with something to remember our trip by. We knew exactly what we wanted - a little blue-footed booty, hand-carved out of cedar wood, which we bought at a wood-carver’s studio called Hera’s Art Gallery.

Civilization isn’t all bad. We spent the remainder of our free time in Puerto Ayora enjoying a beer (or two) and the Santa Cruz Brewery, sitting on the balcony watching the activity in the harbor. It started to rain really hard (our second and final rain of the trip), but fortunately, we were covered and cozy.

Okay, now let’s get back to our critter-only, pristine little world on the Tip Top IV.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: Humans, Galapagos Giant Saddleback tortoises, and Galapagos Giant Domed Tortoises

Travelogue

Flamingos on a salt lagoonSometime during the night, we said goodbye to Isabela Island, cruised around its southern tip, and headed southeast to Floreana Island, one of the most southern islands in the Galapagos.

It was the roughest passage we had had so far, but still more of a rocking-us-to-sleep type motion than anything causing sea sickness. March is one of the calmer times, which is one of the many reasons we chose to visit this time of the year.

Morning sun lights up the flamingosWe began our day with an early morning wet landing on Punta Cormorant, a beautiful olivine green beach on the north side of Floreana Island. The green is from olivine crystals, which are volcanically-derived silicates of magnesium and iron.

From there we hiked for about a half mile to a lovely saltwater lagoon where flamingos and other wading birds hang out. The particular species of flamingo in the Galapagos is the American flamingo, and it can usually be found in these salty lagoons during the nesting period, which lasts from March to July.

This lagoon is a great habitat for flamingos for several reasons.

Flamingo running across the surfaceFirstly, it is hypersalinic, meaning that it is even saltier than the ocean. This is because the lagoon is quite shallow, so as the water evaporates, the salt becomes very concentrated. Since pink shrimp love this very salty water, so do flamingos because that’s what they love to eat.

It is that diet of pink shrimp, which have a carotenoid pigment, that gives flamingos their characteristic bright pink color. The more carotenoid they ingest, the pinker they get.

Getting ready to danceSecondly, in order to mate, flamingo colonies need shallow water to perform their synchronized courtship dances, which they actually were doing this morning.

It’s an amazing thing to watch. Although they have 136 different dance moves in their repertoire, they usually use just a few. Things usually get started when the tallest male in the group stands up very straight and starts swinging his head back and forth, trying to get the rest of the group to join in. This is called head flagging. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. However, when it does, it is incredible - dozens of flamingos stepping along together as if in a parade, heads turning side to side, bobbing up and down - all sizing up their fellow dancers to evaluate their moves.

Synchronized courtship danceFun fact: a group of flamingos is called a “flamboyance.” I can’t think of a more appropriate name.

Unfortunately, for me at least, the flamingos were all the way on the other side of the lagoon. This is where those long telephoto lenses that everyone else in the group had came in handy. I, however, did surprisingly well with my trusty Google Pixel 7 Pro.

But until I saw Herb’s photos, I didn’t even notice that they had black-tipped wings.

Sea Turtle nestsWe continued along the trail to the sea on the other side of Punta Cormorant to a very pretty, soft sand beach.

About a 100 yards back from the water there was a large nesting area, where dozens of female sea turtles had used their back flippers to dig nests in the sand where they laid and buried up to 100 eggs, which incubate in the warm sand for about 60 days.

Sea Turtle crawling to the seaOnce she has buried them, she slowly drags herself back to the sea.

This was exactly what we were witnessing. For the next 15 to 20 minutes, we watched in awe as she crawled up and over the mounds of sand created by their nests and then slowly but surely made her way across the open expanse of beach. We felt like cheering when she finally reached the sea.

Eventually, when her eggs hatch, the little guys would have to make the same journey, but under much more dangerous circumstances, as predators, such as cormorants, gulls, hawks, and even crabs wait anxiously for them to hatch and consume most of them before they ever reach the sea.

Finally she's thereWow! Not exactly what I would consider good parenting, but then again I am not a sea turtle.

On our way back to the panga, we passed by the salt lagoon again just as it began to pour - our first rain since we had been in the Galapagos. They were literally dancing in the rain, head flagging, bopping up and down, and twisting their bodies around.

Of course, this made the flamingos even more photogenic, so we couldn’t possibly leave. Instead, we stayed a good half hour getting soaked and hoping our cameras stayed dry under our attempts at waterproofing.

Back to the Salt LagoonIt was worth it. The photos were absolutely stunning.

After lunch and a brief siesta, we went back out in the pangas for a wet landing at Post Office Bay, the closest thing to civilization we had seen in over a week.

It’s one of the most historically famous island locations in the archipelago. Its origin dates back to 1793, when whalers began the practice of leaving mail in a barrel for homeward-bound ships to collect and deliver.

When they got home, the crew members collecting the mail would then hand deliver the letters to the intended recipients - both as an act of kindness and in the hope that the favor would be returned when they “mailed” something from the Galapagos.

Dancing in the rainToday, the tradition is carried on by tourists, such as us. I had purchased some postcards to send home to our sons and neighbors, which I placed in the barrel, in the hopes that some future traveler from the great state of California would collect it and hand deliver. I did not have high hopes, but what the heck.

Floreana's historic "Post Office"In return, we were told to select some to hand deliver when we got back home. Everyone kept handing me anything with a California address on it, but I stopped with 6 of them. There was no way I was hand delivering one to San Diego, so I was going to take the more modern approach of putting it in an envelope with a stamp and mailing it.

On the way back to the ship, we cruised over to an area called the Mirador de la Baronesa (Baroness’s Lookout), a rocky shoreline, where there is a sea lion colony and penguins like to hang out. I’ll get to that later, but first, a little history of the Baroness.

Sea Lions playing with a lava heronThe Baroness was a real person that lived on this island in the 1930s and was a central figure in much mystery and intrigue, and even murder. Today what happened on Floreana Island is referred to as “The Galapagos Affair.”

Without going into too much detail, Floreana Island was first settled by a German physician named Dr. Ritter and his lover, Dora. They were soon followed by the Wittmers, who gave birth to the first baby on the island. Dr. Ritter, who wanted his privacy, was not happy about their arrival, but they learned to get along.

Fun Fact: The Tip Top IV is owned by the Wittmer family, descendents of the original inhabitants on Floreana

Mirador de la BaronesaHowever, a few years later, a woman, who claimed to be an Austrian Baroness arrived with her two lovers, Robert and Rudolf, who were actually her sex slaves. She wanted to build a grand hotel and transform the island into an adult-themed bacchanalia. Calling herself the “Pirate Queen of the Galapagos,” she would strut around the island scantily clad, with a revolver strapped to her leg, and a whip in her hand.

She would also sit on the rocky shoreline, which we were now at, watching for passing ships. Often these ships would deliver supplies for the Ritters or Wittmers that never found their way to them after the Baroness first got her hands on them.

Time to head homeObviously, the Baroness was not very popular on the island.

Things got worse and worse between the island residents and strange things began to happen. In 1934, the Baroness and one of her lovers just disappeared, leaving behind all their possessions. According to Margaret Wittmer, they left on a strange yacht, but no one else saw this boat and they were never seen or heard from again.

A short time later the Baroness’ other lover left the island on a fishing boat heading for Guayaquil but never arrived. His corpse was found on the deserted island of Marchena.

A few months after, Dr. Ritter died of a mysterious poisoning. According to the Wittmers, he said before dying that his lover had poisoned him.

End of another incredible dayTo this day the disappearance of the Baroness and her lover and the circumstances surrounding the deaths of her other lover and of Dr. Ritter remain a mystery.

My point for digressing with this story, besides the fact that it is quite a story, is that this lovely spot where we were watching the sea lions and penguins play was where the Baroness used to sit for enjoying the panoramic views and watching for visiting delivery ships.

Now it’s just a playground for playful sea lions and seabirds.

The sun was setting. Time for the panga to take us home.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: flamingos, Galapagos Giant Tortoises, sea lions, lava herons, blue-footed boobies

Travelogue

Our first Galapagos Giant TortoiseThis was our third and final day anchoring off of Isabella Island. It’s the largest of all the islands in the Galapagos so there was lots to explore.

We started our day, like most others, with a panga ride to a shore landing to hike and meet the critters that inhabit that area. Every day we thought we couldn’t possibly see something new, yet everyday we did.

Galapagos Giant TortoiseOne of the first things we saw after our wet landing was the skull of a whale.

Continuing inland on a trail, we had our first encounter with a Galapagos giant tortoise, who was blocking our path.

After a photo shoot, where this tortoise got as much attention as a movie star on an Oscars red carpet walk, we tiptoed around him. He really could have cared less about us.

Land Iguana digging his burrowThese creatures are the world’s largest tortoises, weighing up to 500 pounds and growing to 5 feet in length. They males are significantly bigger than the females. They can live to be 100 years or more.

Of all the wildlife, it is the giant tortoise that most symbolizes the Galapagos Islands. In fact, Galapagos means “tortoise” and it is his face that appears on the official insignia of the islands.

Much more gravitas than calling the archipelago “Booby” or “Sally Lightfoot.”

Land Iguana being a bit defensiveThere are 12 different subspecies of giant tortoises in the Galapagos. Their total population is approximately 15,000. Basically, their carapaces (shells) come in two shapes: dome-shelled, like the ones we met today, or saddle-backed, which we would meet later on Santa Cruz Island.

Although they might look scary, they, like iguanas, are herbivores. They are known for their ability to fast for long periods of time, which was almost their downfall, as buccaneers and whalers would carry them off to their ships and keep them in the ship’s hold without food or water, until they became fresh food for them.

Snorkeling with the sea turtlesNext we came across a land iguana digging away at the ground, kicking sand and dirt up behind him. We had seen plenty of land iguanas already on the trip, but never this type of behavior. We learned that they are burrowing animals, and the shallow tunnels they dig out provide shelter, shade, and a nesting place for their hatchlings. The quality of his burrow is also a draw for the ladies, so he works very hard at making a nice home

My favorite photo of a land iguana though was one where he was opening his mouth wide enough for us to see his tongue and tonsils (if he had tonsils).

Cow-Nosed RaysI later researched why he might be doing this, and found that it is generally a sign of aggression or defensiveness, which made sense, because he might not have appreciated us getting too close to his burrow.

The article further went on to say that “it’s best to give your iguana plenty of space and allow it to settle down.” Firstly, this was not “my” iguana, and secondly I had no intention of invading his personal space at this time.

So, we had seen a new creature today, the Galapagos Giant Tortoise, and two new land iguana behaviors: digging a burrow, and showing us his tonsils.

Spotted Eagle RaysDuring the snorkeling session later this morning, which I skipped because I still wasn’t feeling great, Herb saw and photographed lots of Sea Turtles.

I looked up the difference between turtle and tortoise and found the following: Tortoises spend most of their time on land, while turtles are adapted for life spent in water. As a result, tortoises have more rounded and domed shells, while turtles have thinner, more water-dynamic ones.

Pelican with her two babiesLater that afternoon, we went for a panga ride to Punta Moreno and entered a grove of mangroves, where blue herons and penguins are often seen.

But first, we spent our time trying to get closer to the schools of rays we saw in the water.

Tui and Monica were very excited when we came near a school of Cow-Nosed Rays swimming along the surface, where we could get a look at them. They are also called golden rays because of their mustard color, and their noses do actually look like those of a cow.

We also saw a school of beautiful Spotted Eagle Rays, named for their spots When two of them flapped their wing-like fins above the surface, we were able to better see their white spots against their black coloring.

Penguin with flippers outThe birdlife in the mangroves was wonderful as well. We saw a pelican mom with two baby chicks in her nest. I took a video of them also, with them loudly squawking away, and mom somewhat indifferently ignoring them.

There were beautiful blue herons nesting in the mangroves. Their necks are so long and thin that I can't imagine how a fish fits down there.

As we left the mangroves, we came around a rocky islet where penguins and flightless cormorants hung out.

Flightless cormorant drying his wingsI love the penguin cooling himself off by holding his flippers out, but the dejected one heading right out of the photo stole my heart

It looked like the flightless cormorants were getting ready to settle down for the night as well, but first a little wing drying. Their wings don’t produce enough oil to waterproof them, so that’s why you often see them holding the short stunted wings out to dry.

They looked beautiful silhouetted against the sunset.

I hate to keep repeating myself, but what another incredible day.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: Galapagos giant tortoises, land iguanas, sea turtles, cow-nosed rays, spotted eagle rays flightless cormorants, penguins, pelicans, and blue herons

Travelogue

Hike up to Darwin LakeDuring the night, the captain navigated south along the western shore of Isabel Island and anchored near Tagus Cove, a natural harbor with steep cliffs.

Everything we had seen so far in the Galapagos was so pristine and untouched by man, so it was a surprise to find these cliffs covered in graffiti, painted or carved into the rock. Some were current, but many dating back to the 1830s were done by the crews of whaling ships. Does older graffiti make it history rather than vandalism?

After a dry landing, we set out on a 2-kilometer, somewhat strenuous hike through a steep gully to a wooden staircase and then along a gravel track to deep-blue Darwin Lake, an eroded crater 12 meters deep. The water has a very high salt content from seawater seeping in through the porous lava rocks beneath the surface, so there is no life in the lake.

Darwin Lake and Tagus CoveFrom there we continued up to the lower lava slopes of Volcan Darwin, where there was a spectacular view of much of the island and Tagus Cove, where the Tip Top IV was patiently waiting for us.

We went back to the boat to get ready to go out and snorkel. As much as I hated missing anything, I decided to take a pass today as I wasn’t feeling that well - really tired and stomach cramps.

Snorkeling with the penguinsAs Herb left, I told him I was going to just lay down for 10 minutes and then go up on deck to relax and read a book - you know, like real vacationers.

Well, that didn’t exactly go as planned. I laid down for my 10-minute nap, which I awoke from when someone knocked on the door. It was Herb, back from snorkeling. I had passed out for an hour and a half. I definitely must have needed it.

Apparently I missed the snorkel of a lifetime - diving flightless cormorants, sea turtles, penguins zipping by, colorful starfish, and on and on. Even Tui and Monica, who have snorkeled here dozens of times, were raving about what a day it had been.

Chocolate chip starfishThe starfish were amazing - some of them more pentagon-like than star-like. My favorite was the chocolate chip starfish, no explanation needed.

The “chips” were actually conical black spines, arranged in lines radiating outward on the upper side of its body. They are meant to give the animal a threatening appearance so predators will leave them alone. Over time the protrusions erode and become more blunt, making them look more like the chips on a cookie than spines.

There were lots of other starfish in an amazing range of colors - reds, oranges, even white with red dots (or “chips”).

Serious looking pelicanThe action in the water was crazy, with flightless cormorants diving and penguins zipping by so fast that they were gone before you knew it. But then another one would zip by.

I was so sorry that I missed it, but fortunately Herb got some good underwater photos, so I could feel like I didn’t totally miss it.

After lunch, we had a choice of a panga ride or kayaking in Tagus Cove. Herb and I, and one other couple, chose to kayak. Everyone else went in the pangas.

Galapagos Sea TurtleThe problem with kayaking, and the reason we only did it one day, is that the stronger kayaker (Herb) is in the back, and I was in the front - they were double kayakers. This meant that Herb couldn’t really photograph all the wildlife we were seeing along the cliffs, because he was keeping the kayak in control.

We saw pelicans, herons, blue-footed boobies, and penguins all hanging out and doing their thing on the rocky ledges of the cliffs. Penguins always look like they are having a lot of fun.

My absolute favorite capture was a short video clip of three penguins. I kiddingly urged them to “do” something because this was video. The middle wiseguy, right on queue, leaned over and shot poop out of his butt. I still look at this video and laugh. I could have gone home at this point and declared the trip a success.

Sunset in the mangrovesLater that afternoon, we took a panga ride to Elizabeth Bay, a mangrove inlet with lots of green sea turtles and stingrays. There are no landing sites here, so we stayed in the pangas, exploring a beautiful secluded cove, lined with large red mangrove trees.

After an hour or so of chasing sea turtles and rays, we cruised out to a few rocky islets called the Marielas, home to the largest colony of Galapagos Penguins.

The rocks were covered with a menagerie of penguins, flightless cormorants, and Sally Lightfoot crabs.

Another great day in Paradise!

Recap of wildlife we saw today: flightless cormorants, penguins, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, sea turtles, and a variety of starfish

Travelogue

Pre-dawn panga cruise with the seabirdsAt 80 miles long, Isabella is the largest island in the Galapagos by far, covering more than half the landmass of the entire archipelago. It is also one of the youngest islands, dominated by six intermittently active, shield volcanoes.

In fact, it was originally six separate islands, each with its own active volcano. Eventually the lava flows from the six (Cerro Azul, Sierra Negra, Alcedo, Darwin, Wolf, and Ecuador) joined together forming one large island, shaped like a seahorse.

Rounding Punta Vicente RocaWe started our day exploring Punta Vicente Roca, at the tip of the seahorse's nose. It’s a marine-only visitor site (no landings permitted), so we enjoyed the sights and the wildlife from the comfort of our panga - just us and the seabirds getting an early start on their day.

The scenery around the Point was stunning - spectacular cliffs formed out of tuff (volcanic ash) from the remains of two ancient volcanoes. A brown pelican stood at the edge of the cliff indifferently watching us pass by.

In the distance we could see the entrance to a sea cave, eroded from the tuff wall by the constant pounding of the sea, which we would explore later in the morning.

Marine Iguanas warming up on the cliffsWe cruised along the cliff walls, mesmerized by the early morning activity of a very interesting and diverse group of wildlife, all getting ready to start their day.

Marine iguanas clung to the vertical walls as if they had suction cups on their feet, some of them seeming to be holding hands (or more correctly, claws) in a type of circular dance, except none of them moved. They just stayed still, warming their cold-blooded bodies by absorbing the rays of the sun. It reminded me of Henri Matisse’s painting “The Dance.”

Flightless cormorant drying his wingsWe met a flightless cormorant for the first time, with bright, blue eyes and stunted wings. As their name implies, these birds are truly unable to fly. They are a great example of evolution and how a species adapts to its environment. Having few predators or competitors for food close to shore, they really didn’t need wings that much, so their wings gradually atrophied and their bodies evolved to be more streamlined for swimming. They are excellent divers that can speed through the water after fish. Trust me, I have been snorkeling when several of them whizzed by.

Since their wings don’t produce very much oil, they have lost some of their waterproofing, so after a dive, they hold them out to dry.

Our first penguin!We watched a flightless cormorant pluck a large piece of seaweed from the surf, and valiantly proceed to hop his way up a rocky cliff to complete his morning chore of building a nest. Since they can’t fly, they hop up to the nest, using their stunted wings for balance.

Then there was a Galapagos penguin doing what he does best, peering out at the sea looking cute.

You might wonder what a penguin is doing at the equator. So did the first ones that arrived here when they rode the Humboldt Current from the Chilean Patagonia. After the glaciers melted, they were stranded here. They seem to do just fine though. They are really, really fast underwater. Between them and the cormorants whizzing by, snorkeling here can be quite exciting.

Entrance to the sea caveTheir challenge is keeping cool, which they do by spending a lot of time in and near the water. When they are on land you sometimes see them holding their flippers out cooling their armpits (or maybe more correctly, flipper pits).

Then, of course, there were our old friends, the blue-footed boobies and Sally Lightfoot crabs, which never fail to delight.

The Sally Lightfoots scampered across the steep cliff walls as if they were on level ground. Being a family of rock climbers, we were amused to see one of them headed right towards a large vertical crack in the wall, as if he was going to climb it.

Inside the sea caveEventually, we made our way to the entrance of the sea cave, which looked barely high enough to fit us. The cave was surreal, with purple and yellow walls flickering like flames in the early morning light.

Meanwhile, below us, a large school of fish swam in the beautiful aquamarine green water, which seemed as if it was lit from below.

What a fabulous morning, but it wasn’t over yet, as we still had our daily snorkeling event, and today was supposed to be a really good one, because the upwelling of cold water currents in this part of the Galapagos gives rise to an abundance of marine life.

Snorkeling with a Giant Sea TurtleDue to the jellyfish stinging incident the other day (not me, but most of the rest of the group), I had devised a new snorkeling outfit to leave no exposed skin - Lululemon tights under my short wetsuit, a long-sleeve rashguard, and a tiny cap to keep my hair out of my eyes.

Today was definitely a very exciting snorkeling day. We saw giant sea tortoises feeding on the algae at the bottom. When rising to the surface, they often came right at me, causing me to flee or spread my legs apart so they could scoot through.

Snorkeling with marine iguanasThere were dozens of marine iguanas who enter the water during the hottest part of the day to feed on the red and green algae on the rocks. They just scooted around, paying no attention to us, and occasionally even bumping into us. I think I was very brave.

Penguins are extremely fast in the water, darting by so quickly that it was hard for Herb to capture a photo of anything other than their butts. He did manage to get one though.
Herb was in the water when he popped his head up and saw these two marine iguanas cuddling on the shore.

Marine Iguana pile-upIt was so exhilarating and the hour flew by, almost as quick as the penguins.

After lunch and a siesta, we went back out on the pangas for a dry landing on nearby Fernandina Island, the youngest and most volcanically active island in the archipelago. Its volcano, La Cumbre, has erupted several times in recent years, the most recent being in 2017.

There is only one visitor site on Fernandina, Punta Espinosa, so that is where we headed for a dry landing on a dock, which is only good at high tide - spoiler alert, it was low tide when we were finished exploring the island.

Best buddiesFernandina has the largest colony of marine iguanas in the entire Galapagos, so we weren’t too surprised when we were barely off the dock before we stumbled (almost literally, as they are so well disguised against the black rock) upon a group of them.

Then about 100 yards further, we came upon a group of larger ones doing acrobatics, climbing all over each other, often in groups of three. They do this to keep warm. I wasn’t sure how they decided who gets to be on the top, middle, and bottom. I’m not even sure what’s best.

We came across our first lava lizard sitting contentedly on a marine iguana back. I bet he felt safe up there from predators.

Scary marine iguanaAt 6 to 8 inches long, lava lizards are not as impressive as their larger relatives, the iguanas, but they are cute and interesting in their own way. They have to be much more alert and quick than the iguanas to avoid being gobbled up by birds or snakes. However, they developed some very effective traits to avoid being eaten, such as changing color to camouflage themselves and leaving a breakaway tail behind in the predator’s mouth, when they haven’t been quick enough. Don’t worry, they do grow a new one back.

Bull sea lion guarding his territoryThe males are often seen doing what looks like push-ups, which is a show of strength to impress the ladies. The males in the Galapagos seem to always have the ladies in mind, or at least this time of year.

After wading through the sea of marine iguanas, we eventually got to the tip of the point, where there were dozens of Sally Lightfoot crabs covering the rocky volcanic coastline.

Adorable sea lion pupThere was also a large colony of sea lions, and much loud barking and splashing about in the water.

We had already spent time with the cute variety of playful young sea lions, but today we would meet the more aggressive adult bulls, which can grow up to 600 pounds. The males are distinguished by a larger girth, thicker neck, and a noticeable bump on their forehead. They use their large size to defend their territories, which included about 70 feet of shoreline and the shallow waters beyond.

All the females within this territory (up to 30) belong to the bull's harem as mating partners, as well as any juveniles within the harem. The bull is constantly at work defending his territory, swimming back and forth from one end to the other.

Lava cactusSince the bulls way outnumber the harems, there is constant conflict between the resident bull and the harem-less ones challenging him. Sometimes it is just a bit of show of aggression, but other times it can result in a fierce, bloody battle.

This goes on for weeks, with the resident bull going without food and sleep for long periods of time in his efforts to defend his territory, until he is eventually vanquished by a new champion, and the cycle repeats itself.

This behavior actually makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. The resident bull's behavior is likely an evolved mechanism to best defend and ensure the survival of the colony, as someone, either he or the new champion, is always on guard.

Whale BonesThey don't necessarily give photographers a free pass, and there were several times where one of us got a little too close, forcing a rapid retreat as the bull barked and moved a bit too quickly towards us.

On our walk back, we continued on a second trail which wound its way through a lava field. While the lava flow has obliterated much of the vegetation, several pioneering plants, including clumps of lava cactus, have begun to take hold.

A little further along, we came across a skeleton of a whale’s backbone, looking like a lineup of tombstones in the evening light.

Less than elegant entry onto pangaAs we passed a group of marine iguanas, we caught one doing its characteristic spit. While it might look like it is an insult directed towards you, it is actually him expelling the excess salt from its system through a special gland connected to the nostrils. It’s also what sometimes gives them a white-crusted forehead.

It was way past high tide when we returned to the panga pickup area, so the dock was no longer an option.

Homeward boundInstead the panga drivers had to back the boat up against slippery rocks, where aging photographers thrust themselves like beached whales onto the boat. At one point, Tui even jumped overboard in her clothes to try to hold the boat close enough to the rocks for us to get in. She is really a superwoman!

It was worth every undignified moment.

Recap of creatures we saw today: brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, lava lizards, Sally Lightfoot crabs, flightless cormorants, penguins, sea tortoises (underwater), sea lions

Travelogue

Puerto Egas beachWe slept through another overnight cruise south to the island of Santiago, a somewhat barren island with mostly volcanic landscape.

Originally named James Island, Santiago was the second of the Galapagos Islands visited by Charles Darwin in 1835. The island had already long been a source of freshwater, wood, and tortoises for buccaneers and whalers for two centuries.The easy-to-catch Giant Tortoises that lived here became a useful source of protein for the sailors. Between 1784 and 1860, whalers took more than 100,000 tortoises from the Galapagos islands, which they kept alive on their ships until ready to eat them

Puerto Egas beachToday, it’s only visitors are tourists, like us.

After breakfast, we hopped aboard the pangas for a wet landing on Puerto Egas where there was a lovely sand lava beach. As with every other morning, we were the first tour group ashore, and as a result we had the place to ourselves, except, of course, for the marine iguanas happily breakfasting on the exposed algae bed.

We were allowed to run free in either direction - although Galapagos rules required that tourists always remain in sight of their naturalist guide.

Sally LightfootI, and most of our group, headed right towards a beautiful, volcanic rock formation just beginning to catch the morning light. Herb, who prefers to photograph in smaller groups, headed to the left, where he happily had the sally lightfoot crabs and marine iguanas all to himself.

The tide was still low enough to go around the backside of the rock formation to an arch, through which there was a lovely view of Sally Lightfoot crabs scurrying along the tidal pools and a brown pelican posing in the distance.

Marine Iguana greeting the sunMeanwhile, Herb was off by himself at the other end of the beach photographing the beautiful bright red, yellow and blue Sally Lightfoods crabs scampering along the lava rocks just above the surf.

They are named for their nimble, “light-footed” motion, up and down and even upside down while scurrying across the rocks. It is rumored that the “Sally” part of their name comes from a Caribbean dancer that displayed a similar exceptional agility when she danced.

Re-introduced juvenile land iguanaThey would often scoot away when approached, but if you are patient enough and just sit quietly, they will come back out of their hiding place and approach you.

Unlike the flamboyantly colored parents, the juveniles are black, camouflaging them from predators, such as shorebirds, until they develop the speed and agility used by their parents to scoot out of danger.

If someone had told me before this trip that one of our favorite creatures to photograph would be a crab, I would have thought they were crazy, but then we met the Sally Lightfoot crab, and it was love at first sight.

Rocky volcanic shorelineHerb also found a marine iguana soaking up the first morning rays of the sun. They are cold-blooded and need to absorb the heat from the sun to warm up. They are found much of the day, angling their body to directly face the sun, as if worshiping the sun god.

Herb often does the same.

Herb would have happily stayed there for hours, if Monica hadn’t yelled to him that it was time to move on.

Beautifully patterned stingrayWe left the beach and followed a trail inland through a break in the low ledge adjacent to the sea. Off to the left were the remains of a salt mine from the 1930s, owned by a man named Jorge Egas, hence the name Puerto Egas.

Today, all that remains are some half-ruined buildings and an old soccer field, which has been designated by the National Park Service as one of the only few areas outside of the cities where ship crews are allowed to freely disembark and play for a few hours, to blow off steam from dealing with all those crazy tourists.

Prehistoric-looking marine iguanaWe met a cute little land iguana along the way.

Land iguanas had been extinct on Santiago Island since the early 20th century, when feral cats and goats were introduced to the island, killing off many juveniles.

However, after these invasive species were eradicated, in 2019, land iguanas were reintroduced to the island. They were moved from North Seymour island (where we first saw them) where there were over 5,000 of them, too many for the available food on the island. A win-win situation for the two islands.

Three years later, a new generation of newborn and juvenile iguanas are thriving, and today we got to meet one.

Yellow-crowned night heronThe trail eventually led out onto a rocky volcanic formation along the shoreline with a deep pool informally known as “Darwin’s Toilet, because it fills and empties rapidly with seawater rushing in from underground tunnels.

We saw a poor sea lion down in the pool that had a fishing line wrapped around his head with the hook still caught in his mouth. There was nothing anyone could do to help him. The rules are very strict in the Galapagos about interfering with the animals in any way. Plus sea lions have very large teeth and have been known to bite and even hospitalize good Samaritans that try to come to their aid.

Feisty Sally Lightfoot poking a Marine IguanaFrom the rocks we spotted a stingray with a beautiful pattern on its fins and a large marine iguana swimming in the sea.

The diet of marine iguanas is primarily green and red algae. While females and smaller marine iguanas feed intertidally on exposed rocks, the larger males forage on the bottom of the sea. They are the only lizards in the world that are capable of doing this. The bigger males are great divers that can slow their metabolism down to stay submerged for up to an hour.

Snorkeling time!Their blunt snouts make it easier to nibble the thin layer of red and green algae found on the rocks.

Over the next few days, and even snorkeling with them, they started to grow on me. Maybe they were kind of cute in their own way.

We also met a yellow-crowned night heron, very much awake, unlike the one we saw yesterday on Genovesa.

Hieroglyphic HawkfishNext, we came upon some more Sally Lightfood crabs tucked into the cracks of the rocky ledges that lined our path. They seemed perfectly at home with the marine iguanas that joined them. In fact, one feisty Sally Lightfoot seemed to taunt a marine iguana by poking him in the side of his head. The bright red, yellows, and blues of the crab next to the deep black of the marine iguana made for a stunning contrast.

I love watching and photographing the way the species interact with each other so casually - vulture ground finches riding on the back of marine iguanas, colorful reef fish nibbling at the algae on sea turtles, and these Sally Lighfood crabs teasing the marine iguanas.

Fiddler CrabWhat an incredible morning it had been, and it was only 9:00 a.m.

We returned to the boat, got on our wetsuits, and headed back out on the pangas for our daily snorkeling.

One of the strangest fish we saw just lying there hiding amongst some rocks was a hieroglyphic hawkfish, dressed in complete camo garb of stripes and bands, which actually do look a little like hieroglyphics. He just hangs out disguised in the rocks, waiting for dinner to come by. There were also schools of colorful fish, including the pin-striped group, which I was unable to identify.

Ghost CrabAfter an hour of snorkeling, we went back to the boat for lunch and a siesta. Free time at last! Herb napped, and I finally got a chance to just sit in an upper deck lounge chair and read a book. However, I must confess I did close my eyes for a bit.

Fed and rejuvenated, we headed back out on the pangas for a landing on Playa Espumilla, a golden sandy beach where every year female sea turtles come in early March to nest.

We saw several of their nests, which were deep, wide holes dug into the sand up near the mangroves, but unfortunately they were empty.

Dolphins joining us on our panga rideHowever, one lucky person in our group did see a tiny baby one crawl across the beach and successfully make it to the sea. Someday he would return to this very same beach to nest.

Beyond the beach there was a trail that led through a grove of mangroves to a saline lagoon. Alongside the lagoon we found several collections of sea turtle bones. We also found two new interesting crabs: the fiddler and the ghost.

Our dolphin escortsLike the fiddler crabs we have seen in South Carolina, the male has a giant claw which he carries around like a cello - so I nicknamed him Yo-Yo Ma. During courtship, he waves it around to attract females - the fiddler crab that is, not Yo-Yo Ma. They’re kind of hard to photograph, because as soon as they feel the vibration of approaching footsteps, they quickly disappear into their sand burrows.

The other crab was a Ghost Crab, which Herb was very lucky to photograph, because, as their name implies, they are very elusive and nocturnal. Usually, you only see their tiny eyes at the end of movable stalks peering out from their burrows. Herb got him strutting right out in the open. He looked like a tiny lunar module.

Volcanic cliffs along Buccaneer CoveI can’t believe I am starting to love crabs so much. They are actually quite beautiful when you get up close.

Back out on the beach we met a pair of oystercatchers patrolling the beach for food. Since their food is usually found along the shoreline, they walk rather than fly, and are almost found in pairs.

They are lovely birds with a distinctive black and white plumage, pink legs, and long, bright reddish-orange beaks.

Volcanic Tower with Opuntia cactusTheir diet consists of bivalves, mollusks, worms, and crustaceans which they dig out using their perfectly adapted strong and powerful beaks. Once in their grasp, they pry open their catch with their beak and quickly slice the strong adductor muscles to get at the meat inside.

Our last activity of the day was a panga ride along the steep cliffs near Buccaneer Cove, with dolphins accompanying us much of the way.

Buccaneer Cove was a haven for pirates and whalers in the 17th and 18th century. When Darwin first visited here in the Beagle in 1835, he found a party of Spaniards drying fish and salt tortoise meat. The island had already been a source of freshwater, wood, and tortoises for buccaneers and whalers for well over a century.

Post-sunset return to shipThe volcanic cliffs were beautiful, with layers of eroded tuff volcanic rocks forming amazing shapes. They were a stunning red in the late afternoon light.

Many of the cliffs were topped with tall Opuntia cactus. I am always awed with how persistent plants can be to find a home on what was once bare volcanic rock.

By the time we headed back to our boat, the sun was already setting. That’s why we chose this photo tour - first group onshore in the morning, and last to leave at night.

Recap of wildlife we saw today: marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, land iguanas, yellow-crested night heron, sea lions, stingrays, hieroglyphic hawkfish (while snorkeling), oystercatchers, fiddler crabs, ghost crabs, and Galapagos mockingbirds.