Category: Ecuador

After lunch and a short break we headed back to Puerto Ayora. This time we were in the town of Puerto Ayora itself. With a population of over 12,500 Puerto Ayora is the most populous town in the Galapagos. Our destination was the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Established in 1959 by the Charles Darwin Foundation, it’s basic function is that of research and conservation.

There are several areas that are open to visitors. We were first led to the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, whose purpose is to restore endangered tortoise and land iguana populations. The center collects hatchlings and eggs of the 12 unique species of tortoises, raising them until they can released on their respective islands.

It was quite amazing to see!

There are also adult tortoises that are endangered and are being preserved to keep the species going.

I also got to chat with our guide about Diego. You know that story, right? Back during one of the expeditions in 1934 several tortoises from Española Island were sent to the San Diego Zoo. In the 1960’s, the rather new Galapagos National Park Service from the Charles Darwin Research Station did a survey of the island and found only 14 of this species of tortoises left on the island! The 12 females and 2 males were sent to the Charles Darwin Research Station to start a breeding program. It was then that a male of the species was found at the San Diego Zoo and in 1977 returned to the Galapagos. The rest is history as the breeding program released over 1,800 hatchlings back in Española Island. According to this post by the Galapagos Conservation Trust, genetic testing revealed that the tortoise, now named Diego “fathered almost 60% of all the captive-bred hatchlings”. In 2020 Diego along with the other 14 were returned to Española Island to enjoy their retirement! And according to this Diego is still enjoying his retirement! So there you have it, a San Diego connection!

We were told that over 200,000 tortoises were taken from the Galapagos for food and other purposes.

And then there’s the story of Lonesome George, who was the last of the Pinta Island Tortoises.

Tortoises were taken as food and then goats were introduced to Pinta Island. And by the mid 60’s Pinta Island Tortoises were thought to be extinct. And then in 1971 George was discovered and in 1972 was moved to the Breeding Center. Further expeditions were done and inquiries were made around the world, but no other Pinta Island Tortoises were to be found. Attempts to have George mate with Volcán Wolf giant tortoise which are the closest match genetically to Pinta Island Tortoises failed. And in June of 2012 George died, the last of his kind.

After his death he was sent to the American Museum of Natural History and their team of Taxidermists went to work. He was then on display there until 2017 when we has returned to the Galapagos and the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center where he now resides.

On the panel outside the display are these words: “Whatever happens to this single animal, let him always remind us that the fate of all living things on Earth is in human hands.”

We spent a bit more time checking out the displays and things at the research center.

We then walked back to Puerto Ayora where we did some shopping and explored a bit.

We noticed that folks used cones to mark off where the sea lions were located.

And we headed back to the port at our assigned time for the ferry back to the Evolve.

Back on board we had a nice cocktail hour.

And got to watch the sunset over Puerto Ayora.

Then freshened up before meeting everyone on deck for a lovely farewell cocktail with the crew.

Hard to believe that this was out last evening in the Galapagos!

Our last full day in the Galapagos was going to be spent on Santa Cruz island, with most of it taking place in Puerto Ayora, the most populated town in the islands. We had already been to Cerro Dragon and Bachas Beach, but there was still much more to see.

It felt quite interesting to wake to a fairly busy harbor.

And after our breakfast……

We were headed to the harbor.

Upon landing I felt so sad seeing this sick looking Sea Lion pup. There were cones around the little one so he wouldn’t be bothered, so it was obvious the authorities were aware of the little one.

We boarded a small bus and headed on inland to El Chato Ranch and Giant Tortoise Reserve. This large property was once a cattle ranch, but was converted to a reserve for free roaming tortoises.

From the moment you arrive, you’ll see tortioses.

There are several trails and once we walked a bit we were taken to a “Lava Tunnel”….in other words a lava tube.

And folks really seemed in awe of it. Even though we’ve been to Kaumana Caves a couple of times, this was still neat.

After this we walked some trails and just watched the Giant Tortoises ambling about.

It was amazing watching these majestic creatures…..

Who were just totally unfazed by our presense.

Just carrying on with daily life!

We then headed back to Puerto Ayora and the ferry back to Evolve.

There were more sea lions napping on the dock. And the little was snoozing as well.

Back on board we had our departure briefing and then lunch.

We then had a couple of hours to rest before heading out for our last adventure!

After visiting Puerto Egas and having lunch we headed off to our next stop, Rabida Island.

Rabida is a small island, less than 2 square miles in area. Much of it is rocky coastline.

But Rabida has one very unique aspect……

The stunning red sand beach. The red sand is a product of iron rich lava that formed the island. And this beach is the only access point for visitors to the island. It’s makes for quite a dramatic stop.

There were so many unique stops in this archepelago!

A bit further inland is a salt water lagoon, where we saw Flamingos.

I was quite surprised to see them! Apparently, flamingos are very strong fliers, and it is thought that they first migrated to the islands all the way from South America and perhaps even the Caribbean!

I’ll never look at them the same again!

As we headed back to the shore, the red sand made for quite a back drop as we hit the “Golden Hour”.

Back on board, I quickly noticed that the deck had been rearranged a bit. Well, after freshening up we were back on the rear deck.

And there was this flag unfurled…..

Apparently, it was “party time”…….

It was a fun; pirate themed time……

And then it was time for us to contribute to the festivities. Remember the evening we had dinner at the Captain’s table? Well, one of questions we were asked….very casually during our chat was what would be our “spirit animal”. I mentioned really being drawn to the Flightless Cormorants. Well, it had been documented and we were now required to imitate that creature to music! Yikes…. I hope that video will never make it out of the Galapagos!

And after the festivities, we headed back to our cabins to “recover” before dinner.

That duck in a red wine – balsamic reduction was quite good!

Back in our cabin we noticed that we’d been given some nice chocolate as an appreciation gift.

We were actually kind of sad that our cruise was nearly over!

Man, even though things were so amazingly relaxed with nature all around, we were already on our sixth day of our luxury cruise of the Galapagos. Time seemed to zooming by. This day would be about two lovely beaches.

The first would be a wet landing on Puerto Egas, located at the west side of Santiago Island. Morning aboard the Evolve was relaxing as always.

That’s Cerro Pelado in the background of my morning cup o’ joe…..

Because I usually woke early; I’d head up to the deck and relax and just take everything in before folks starting coming up for breakfast.

After breakfast, we boarded a panga and headed off the Puerto Egas. The black sand beach here is striking.

As are the cliffs and rock formations.

And soon we headed off on the trail.

Which featured all of the usual suspects.

Red Throated Lava Lizards.

And of course, we were always under the careful supervision of the land iguanas.

Such diverse plant life as well.

Around the rocky bay there were the distinctive red Sally Lightfoot Crabs.

And an abundance of American Oystercatchers.

But there was one main creature to see. While we’d seen our share and even encountered a very curious sea lion. The Galapagos Fur Seal can be quite elusive. These small seals prefer shade and rocky grottos, like those at Puerto Egas.

It was relaxing watching these little ones just floating along enjoying life….like we were at the moment.

For some reason, they just brought smiles to our faces!

After watching the water ballet for a while we headed back to the beach. With this lava lizard “pointing the way”…..

Were we donned our snorkeling gear and did a session from the shore.

And actually saw a shark……which was so cool!

Back on board it was a quick shower and then time for lunch!

After which we took a short siesta before heading off to our next stop. Which was a beach that was even more spectacular!

Thanks for stopping by!

**** I know “FOY” Peter was looking forward to this post. So here ya’ go! Hope you enjoy it Peter!

After spending the morning exploring the mangrove forest at Elizabeth Bay, the Evolve headed off to Tagus Cove while we had lunch and relaxed.

These rocky cliffs toward the northwest on Isabela Island in the Bolivar Channel is where, according to what Fabrizio told us Pirates and Whalers used to anchor. And so, we did anchor and folks could do SUP….which the Missus loved and hadn’t done since we had been in June Lake. I did some kayaking…..we could even see names etched in the stone along the cliffs of the cove….sorry, too busy paddling to take photos.

Once done, we freshened up, then boarded the pangas, which took us along the cliffs. You can see some of the graffiti along the cliffs below.

The pangas took us to an area to do some snorkeling.

And this is where the Missus and I would have one of the most unforgettable moments in our travels. While just enjoying the clear ocean I felt like something or someone was watching us. Soon enough, an adult male sea lion started following us. He would dart between us and around us.

Showing off his “skills”. He seemed quite curious.

He apparently enjoyed the attention. Twice, when my attention got diverted, he came by and gave me a little “bump”, as if to inform me that he was the “star of the show”! Remember that you can’t approach wildlife and are supposed to stay at least 2 meters away. But what do you do when a sea lion going at like 25 miles an hour under water zooms toward you?

Several times he went to the rocks for a few seconds….I think he expected us to follow him? Because a moment later, he’d stick his head into the water looking for us!

Seeing us, he’d dive back in!

He just ignored the other folks snorkeling. Maybe he was curious about Asians? Anyway, this went on until we were back in the Panga. Fabrizio was quite surprised at this; he’s been a Naturalist in the Galapagos for almost 20 years and had never seen this behavior by an adult male sea lion before. The pups are very curious as was noted when that little fella tried to board our panga on Isla Plaza Sur. But this was a new one for him and of course, we’ll never forget this experience!

We got back to the Evolve and washed up. The day wasn’t over yet! We boarded the pangas and headed off for a tour of the coast. And we quickly came across an inhabitant we hadn’t seen yet on this trip.

See the little one “striking” a pose? Here’s a closer look.

Yes, it’s a penguin! The Galapagos Penguin is the only penguin found North of the Equator. And is only found on Isabela and Fernandina Islands. You just had to take a bunch of photos of these cute little ones.

And of course, there were Blue Footed Boobies!

Among all the other wildlife.

But for most of us; it was all about those penguins.

This one is enjoying the afternoon sun!

There was so much to see along the cliffs of Tagus Cove.

There are many caves along the shoreline here.

And we visited several.

It was quite stunning. Each day was a new adventure that seemed to top the experience of the day before! We almost didn’t want to head back to the Evolve!

Back on board we had a nice predinner snack and aperitif.

Watching the sun set in the horizon.

Before heading to our briefing for the following day by Antonio.

We were given this while having our little snack.

Which meant that we would be dining at the Captain’s table this evening. Yikes! Well, we did dress a bit better than on previous evening! We had a wonderful time chatting with Captain Jhon.

Man, that Guariche Crab Cake; made from blue land crab was super tasty….so much crab!

The Pork in Guava Sauce was also delish….almost like something I’d get back “home” in the islands.

Usually, the Missus and I would get one each of the appetizers/main….but on this day, these dishes sounded so good.

Dinner went well and we got back to our cabin….it had been quite a day, right?

But it was not quite over yet. Around 830pm an announcement came over the speakers for folks to head on over to the bridge. So, of course we did.

What was going on you may ask? Well, at this moment we were at Latitude 0°!

Even though we had already done Intiñan Equator Museum and Latitude 0° there, this was still quite exciting! Man, twice in two weeks!

This was quite an unforgettable day!

Thanks for stopping by!

After viewing the amazing eruption on Fernandina, the Evolve sailed back to Isabela Island while we slept. Isabela Island is the largest of all islands in the Galapagos. It was noted that Isabela is larger than all of the other islands of the archipelago combined.

As the sun rose, I headed up to the deck. As always the view was beautiful.

There was another Ecoventura Yacht in the bay as well.

Some of the other passengers were out having morning coffee; checking emails, etc….

There are quite a few little islets in the bay…each looking like its own little world.

An hour after a light breakfast, we boarded the pangas and headed off to Elizabeth Bay. We saw a sea lion doing his “pose” for us along the way.

As this turtle swam by……

There would be no landing on this tour as Elizabeth Bay is known for the mangrove forest that adorns its shores.

And all the interesting wildlife that can be seen.

Like this school of Golden Cownose Rays that glided past us.

We went further into the bay lined with vegetation.

Sorry to say that I don’t have a ton of photos, since we made good use of our binoculars to view wildlife.

Though I did enjoy taking this photo of a sea lion hanging out on the branch of a mangrove tree.

It was very peaceful, serene, and relaxing. Seeing the school of Spotted Eagle Rays passing us in what almost seemed like a choreographed water ballet just seemed to fit right into the ambience.

As we headed back, we saw that the sea lion had settled in for a morning nap.

Time just seemed to slip away as we headed back to the Evolve.

When we were all aboard, it was time to pull up anchor and head to our next destination.

We had lunch…which included some really nice lobster tails.

Then had a nice post lunch siesta/break.

Our next stop would be Tagus Bay, where the Missus and I would have one of most memorable experiences…well….ever!