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COPYRIGHT:
All content on this Wildside Nature Tours, Inc. website, including photographs, text, and illustrations, is the property Wildside Nature Tours, Inc. No portion of the material on this Web site (including text, photographs, and artwork) may be copied, reproduced, or reused without the express written permission of Wildside Nature Tours, Inc. |
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Galapagos Islands Family Adventure - July/August 2007
As always, this trip was fantastic! The weather was perfect and the wildlife cooperative. Blue-footed Boobies (feet pictured at left) offering their dance, Waved Albatross in courtship swordplay, playful sea lions tugging on our swim fins, lumbering Giant Tortoises, battling Hood Mockingbirds and many of Darwin's finches. Every day offered renewed anticipation of what would come next, and no day ever disappointed!
Our trip began with a full day in Quito to visit the Mitad del Mundo - the Middle of the World Equatorial Monument. This structure sits on the "official" equatorial line north of Quito. However, right next door at the Inta Nan Solar Museum is the claimed "real: equatorial line, more recently found with newer technologies. After some exploration of Quito's Mercado Artisanal and a filling dinner, we retired to prepare for an early rise continue our journey to the Enchanted Islands.
Our flight to the Island of Baltra, though uneventful, was filled with anticipation. However, from the moment we landed our lives would never be the same. Darwin's finches were everywhere, one even pooped on Kevin's hat! As we boarded our boat, Common Noddies, Blue-footed Boobies and endemic Swallow-tailed Gulls were everywhere--most were new species for those in our group. Sea lions rested on boats moored in the harbor and Sally Lightfoot Crabs jumped from rock to rock. Already many faces had succumbed to the jaw-dropped pose so common to newcomers in the Galapagos Islands!
After dumping our luggage in our respective quarters on the Cruz del Sur, we were off to explore the highlands of Santa Cruz--home to one of the many subspecies of Giant Tortoise. Along the way we made a side excursion to a lava tube, an odd tunnel formation created during the active volcanic period of this island. Eerie worm hole-like creations, the lava tubes often house interesting wildlife, like Short-eared Owls. The rest of our afternoon was spent in the company of Giant Tortoises. Lumbering beasts of great size and weight, their numbers were depleted by sailors needing travel-worthy food supplies--fresh meat daily led to the extinction of several subspecies of these magnificent reptiles.
A wondrous sunrise led us to our next island--Bartolome. Its iconic landscape, including Pinnacle Rock, was used as a brief backdrop in the movie "Master and Commander." A climb up 355 steps offered incredible views of this brown, near barren island. Lava Lizards skittered everywhere. Frigatebirds and boobies fished near shore. After lunch we snorkeled in the shadows of Pinnacle Rock. Yellow-tailed Surgeons, Striped Mullets, Chocolate Chip Sea Stars and even Galapagos Penguins were found during this excursion.
At Sombrero Chino, a small island off Santa Cruz's east coast, another snorkeling excursion added a sea snake, Green Sea Turtle and a Sting Ray. A pre-sunset hike on the island offered witness to a male Frigatebird stealing a fish from a booby then tossing it, in flight, several meters to a female frigate. What a wonderful wildlife moment!
Another beautiful morning as we headed out in the pangas to enjoy a ride along the shore of North Seymour. Its rocky coast offered excellent views of the endemic Galapagos Fur Seal as well as nexting gulls and frigatebirds. Once on shore, we experienced nature at its best... and worst. A Swallow-tailed Gull's nest included a cute, fluffy chick waiting to be fed while a Blue-footed Booby chick "eliminated" his sibling competition as we watched in horror, knowing that nature should not be interfered with. Great and Magnificent Frigatebirds grabbed our attention with their bill rattling and squawks as the males attracted mates. Chicks of both species were everywhere waiting to be fed. Land Iguanas basked in the morning warmth and a Galapagos Racer sped across our path disappearing into the saltbush cover.
After lunch another island, South Plaza, offered great looks at a Land Iguana munching on the Opuntia Cactus pads, thorns and all! A pair of copulating Swallow-tailed Gulls nearly stole the show from the Shearwaters and noddies that rode the wind currents only inches from the rocky cliffs.
Today's sunrise was blocked temporarily by the looming face of Kicker Rock which towered high above our yacht. We boarded the pangas and rode through the cracks and crevaces in the huge volcanic remnant. Noddies, gulls, boobies and frigates circled above as Fur Seals yelped. Later, Ochoa Beach offered intimate connections with playful sea lions who swam by us blowing bubbles and often tugged on our swim fins!
An afternoon excursion to El Junco, a highland lake, offered foggy views of San Cristobal Island. Cold and wet, we descended back to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno for some souvenir shopping before returning to our yacht for dinner.
An early morning panga ride through Black Turtle Cove gave us wonderful images of diving boobies! We also came across more than 30 White-tipped Reef Sharks on one small reef. They were smaller than the Black-tipped Shark we had circling our yacht in the glow of sunrise, however, we dared not dip fingers or toes into the placid water!
Our afternoon was spent at Baches Beach where Ghost Crabs were numerous and the small pond held a couple flamingos. Some went snorkeling as other enjoyed a relaxing time on the beach. After dinner, we enjoyed a spectacular star-filled sky and ghostly figures of the nocturnal Swallow-tailed Gulls as they drifted by our motoring yacht.
Today's sunrise was blocked by cloudcover. But the wildlife was surely unaffected by the weather as we landed on Espanola. Sea lions and mockingbirds greated us just before a Galapagos Hawk swooped passed. Our hike led us through colonies of gulls, tropicbirds and eventually to the amazing dance of the Waved Albatross! Their swordplay held us captive, speechless. They were difficult to leave, however, we had more to see!
Our afternoon was spent on Gardener Beach enjoying snorkeling, swimming, beachcombing, birding and relaxing. The Hood Mockingbirds offered a feisty territorial display over the beach art we created!
Another cloud-filled morning did not deter our exploration of Floreana, with its flamingo filled lagoon and its cove full of skates that tickled our toes as they swam by. A trip to Devil's Crown offered incredible snorkeling. After lunch we visited the "Post Office" -- a barrel originally left for sailors to send letters home via other ships passing by. Here we enjoyed more snorkeling while some visited another lava tube the went deep into the island. Our crew played another boat in a heated soccer match!
After motoring for a few hours were we back at Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz for our final evening. After dinner we enjoyed an evening in town for souvenir shopping and a celabratory beer.
Morning took us on a whirlwind tour of the Darwin Station and the tortoise breeding program. After, we boarded a bus back to Baltra and our flight to Quito, arriving in time for dinner. Our final evening in Ecuador was filled with mixed emotion--happy to have had such a grand experience, sad to see it end. |
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