Category: Galapagos

Isabela Island is the largest island in the Galapagos. Isabela was formed by the merging of six large shield volcanoes: Alcedo, Cerro Azul, Darwin, Ecuador, Sierra Negra, and Wolf. It is relatively young with an estimated age of around 1 million years. It was named after Queen Isabela I from Castile.

Of the three islands it is pretty chill and a great place to relax.

The island is known for its rich biodiversity, including several species of tortoises, iguanas, penguins, and flightless cormorants.

Las Tintoreras tour

Our guide took us on a boat around the harbor, then on a part of the island that is volcanic rock. From here there are underground tunnels or tubes from flows of lava to snorkel in and see turtles, sharks, and penguins.

I didn’t snorkel but did give my camera to the guide. I might have to come back again since I have found how to move around the islands. Here are some videos from the snorkeling.

Sierra Negra Volcano, which has one of the world’s largest volcanic craters. Its just eruption was in 2018 and each eruption gives valuable information on impact. It is a shield volcano with broad and slow rising slopes and lava flows with less velocity. The caldera is 10 km wide. The volcano collapsed into the caldera and subsequent lava flows have changed the landscape more.

The hike is 16 km total and goes out then back around part of the rim.

Poza de los flamingos

During the early 1900s, the Ecuadorian government used the island as a penal colony, known as Puerto Villamil (the current capital). Prisoners were put to work on various projects, including building the “Wall of Tears,” (Muro de las lágrimas) a large wall constructed from lava rocks. I rented a bike for $10 for the day, brought food with me and had a great 4 hours looking around the area.

It is best to bike all the way out to the wall and then stop at all the other lookouts on the way back.

After that I went to pearl concha, where many go to snorkel.

Then a rest at the pink iguana.

Isabela Island is the main focus of conservation efforts in the Galapagos. Programs are in place to protect the endemic species and restore habitats that have been affected by invasive species and human activity.

Goats were one of the most destructive invasive species. They degraded the habitat by overgrazing, which led to soil erosion and the destruction of native vegetation. This impacted native tortoise populations. Donkeys also contributed to this problem.

Pigs, introduced by humans, preyed on the eggs and hatchlings of native reptiles, such as tortoises and iguanas.

Black rats and Norway rats were introduced accidentally by ships. They prey on eggs and hatchlings of birds and reptiles.

Feral cats have been a significant predator of native wildlife, including birds, iguanas, and young tortoises. Their hunting behavior has caused declines in many native species. Dogs likewise are a problem.

An invasive insects, such as the Philornis downsi fly affected birds. The larvae of this fly parasitize the nestlings of many bird species, causing high mortality rates.

Blackberry and guava plants outcompete the native species and grow too thick.

The aggressive eradication of most of these allowed the tortoise population to increase.

In the morning I went back to Tortuga Bay. It is a lovely 3.5 km walk to get to the sheltered bay. I had a group tour in the afternoon so this was a perfect start to the day.

Brunch was at a restaurant I had been wanting to go to. They also had brujo, known as scorpion fish which I had to try. It was delicious and I saved half for breakfast the next day. I will be leaving on the 7 am ferry to go to Isabela.

El Chato Tortoise Reserve

Most of the island is a protected reserve. In some areas there are farms but a lot of the land is used by tortoises to roam freely. They spend their time grazing and when it is time to lay eggs, they head to the lowlands and the sand.

Twin Craters (Los Gemelos)

The Gemelos (the twins) Craters are in the center in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island. They are a pair of large sinkholes formed by collapsed magma chambers. The vegetation in the area are Scalesia forest that contain plant species found only in the galapagos. It is a reminder that these islands were formed from past volcanic activity.

Lava tubes

The lava tunnels are underground tubes formed by flowing lava during volcanic eruptions. They form when the surface of a lava flow cools and hardens but the molten lava beneath still flows away. The result is a hollow tunnel. This tunnel goes for kilometers but sections have collapsed. This section is still accessible.

Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago. It is around 1.5 million years old. It is one of the younger islands in the Galapagos.

The island was named Santa Cruz, meaning “Holy Cross”. It was also called Indefatigable by the British after HMS Indefatigable. The Galapagos Islands were used by whalers and buccaneers as a base for their operations. There are many islands in the archipelago. Darwin did not visit Santa Cruz.

The Charles Darwin Research Station was Founded in 1959, after petitions internationally we’re Made to preserve the islands. Many changes had occurred and due to human activity and invasive species, native species were endangered. Now 97% of the entire Galapagos is for preservation and research. People live on only 3%. Tours can access several areas on a limited basis. Conservation remains a priority to protect its unique flora and fauna.

Getting from San Cristobal to Santa Cruz was easy with an approximate 2 hour ferry.

Tortuga Bay

This was an easy 35 minute walk from the center of town through the park. Many lizards and birds hop on and off the path.

The bay is used for surfers and it’s too rough for swimming, but if you walk to the other end of the beach, the path curves towards a sheltered bay.

The marine iguanas can be seen here. They only go in the water when they want to feed on the algae on the rocks. Their noses are blunt for this purpose and their claws and limbs are adapted for this purpose. This is the only marine iguana in the world. When they sneeze on land, they are sneezing out the excess salt from their dive!

Here you can snorkel, swim, or rent a kayak. Lots of wildlife can be seen from the kayak.

The Darwin research station

Outside the research station is a little building where you can purchase a tour with a naturalist. It gives you more access to the station. While you wait there is an artist area across the street that leads to the Bay.

At the station I saw the turtle breeding program area. They breed and monitor the eggs then when they hatch, they keep them for 5 years before releasing into the wild. They mimic the requirements needed for that time. By controlling egg incubation temperatures, they can ensure enough males and females.

At the information center we saw lonesome George, the last of his specific breed of tortoise. Many of the rest of his species had been smuggled out of the Galapagos and despite reward offerings to give one up for a mating partner, no one responded.  When he died, they had him taxidermied.

After walking around a little longer, I went to the Bay at the research station.

A friend from school had just arrived at the island. We walked around at the gift shops and looked for sharks at the pier.

A long day walking and more for tomorrow….

I booked a tour to go look for the red footed boobies  which can only be seen on two islands in the Galapagos. San Cristobal is one of them. It was an amazing day.

Dolphins

As we made our way to kicker rock, we spotted a pod of dolphins which swam and frolicked with our boat.

Kicker rock or sleepy lion (Leo dormido)

Snorkeling

For the record, I did not snorkel. I had cataract surgery a few weeks ago and being in water is not allowed for 3 months. Though I did still brinh my own snorkel and mask, it is not worth the risk. I did bring my 360 camera which the naturalist took for me. For this time of year, the water was actually pretty clear and many of the must-see animals put on a show.

Punta Pitt

This is a part of San Cristobal island that you cannot get to any other way except by boat. Here you can find the red footed booby. It was a nice 2 km hike and beautiful as only so many tours can be here at a time.

Here are some interesting facts about the Nazca, Red-footed, and Blue-footed boobies:

Nazca Booby

These birds have a white body with black-tipped wings and tail with a distinctive black mask around their eyes. They feed on fish and squid caught by diving from significant heights. They have serious sibling rivalry, where usually only one chick survives. They nest on the ground in large colonies and have  a courtship dance that includes bill clapping.

Red-footed Booby

They have two variations: White or brown body with brown being more common. They have bright red feet and a blue beak and face. They also feed on fish and squid in the same manner and fly fast. They nest in trees, unlike other boobies that nest on the ground. They only lay one egg. They have a courtship ritual of head shaking and giving sticks.

Blue-footed Booby

They have bright blue feet that are part of their mating ritual. The brighter the blue shoes they are healthy and they attract more mates. They have a high stepping dance that shows off their feet. They have a brownish body and a pale blue beak. They catch sardines and anchovies by plunge-diving. They nest on the ground, and lay two or three eggs. They spread guano in a circle so the egg and the baby chicks blend in.

Frigates

They nest in trees and are always near the boobies or circling over head to prey on the fledgling boobies.

We also saw a great blue heron.

The views of and around the island were gorgeous.

And of course the sea lions. They are so fun to watch. Expressive, curious, and playful.

San Cristobal is one of the oldest islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. All the islands in the Galapagos were formed by volcanic activity. It is one of the easternmost islands and the closest to Ecuador mainland. It is estimated to be between 2.4 to 4 million years old.

The Galapagos Islands were discovered  in 1535 by the Bishop of Panama, Fray Tomás de Berlanga. San Cristobal was named after St. Christopher, the patron saint of seafarers.

It was the first of the islands to be inhabited and served as a penal colony by the Ecuadorian government in the 1900s. Charles Darwin visited in 1835.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, San Cristobal had sugar and coffee plantations as well as fishing. Now it is the capital of the Galapagos Province.

As a tourist destination, there are strict conservation regulations to preserve its ecosystems and wildlife. When you arrive at the airport in Quito (or Guayaquil), a special visa and scanning of luggage is needed as well.

La Lobería

The name for the beach means “Place of the sea wolfs”. Lobería is shortened from lobos mariños which is what the sea lions are called in Spanish. The beach is 3 km from the town and is a nice walk there and back .

Along the shore of the port is the malecón. The walkway is beautiful with restaurants and shops.

A protest was happening as I was looking for a spot for dinner. Here in Ecuador, the protests are led by a police car as it is their right to protest peacefully.

And of course, there are more sea lions. Dinner if the sea lions have moved to other parts of the island including the port.

The fish I ate was amazing and freshly caught. It was delicious. Tomorrow is bird watching…