The Galapagos Islands: A Nature Lover’s Paradise

The pristine, serene beaches reminded me of those that I visited more than forty-five years ago in Hawaii. At that time, I wanted to scrap my job as a newspaper reporter in Connecticut for homesteading on the North Shore of Oahu. Of course, I came to my senses. I can’t recall visiting such magical beaches again until my husband Dave and I visited the Galapagos Islands in May.

The Galapagos Islands are located about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, some above and others below the equator. Only four of the sixteen-larger islands are human inhabited. We chose a land-based tour and stayed on the island of San Cristobal with a population of about 6,000 humans; the sparsely populated, laid back and charming island of Floreana; Isabela, the largest island with about 1,700 human residents; and the most populated island, Santa Cruz, with a 30,000 human resident population, as estimated by our guide.This blue footed booby shows off his feet for us in a bay area of Isabela Island.

Charles Darwin studied finches in 1835 on the Galapagos Islands where he developed his theory of evolution. We spotted the first of several varieties of Darwin finches on the island of San Cristobal, our first stop in the Galapagos.

Overall, the cleanliness of the Galapagos Islands’ beaches struck us each time we explored them with our-sixteen-member tour group, expertly led by super guide Pepo of Galikiwi, an independent contractor for Active Adventures. Herons, blue footed boobies, pelicans, iguanas, crabs, and sometimes small Galapagos penguins dotted the shorelines with frigates flying high above searching for their fish dinners.

Marine iguanas, two inches to three feet long, blended into the black lava rock along many shorelines. On one idealic San Cristobal coastal beach, accessible only by boat, we spied sea turtle tracks leading from the ocean to the dunes where they laid their eggs in a hole burying them in sand.

Human trash was noticeably absent during our ten-day Galapagos tour. That was a huge and very welcome change from our treks in Italy, Nepal, and Peru where human trash, including plastic water bottles, toilet paper, and even human feces near one popular Peruvian pass, often accumulated just off trails or behind bushes.

The first sign that the Galapagos would stand apart from other tourist destinations surfaced just before takeoff from Guayaquil on Ecuador’s mainland. As we sat in our Avianca Airlines seats, Dave and I watched in disbelief as a flight attendant opened the overhead compartments stuffed with carry-on luggage and sprayed a Lysol-smelling-like substance into all the bins. Curiously, she didn’t spray the bags that lay under the passenger seats.

Later we learned that the spray was applied to kill unwanted insects, and theoretically flowed downward onto passengers and their belongings stuffed under seats. We then watched a preflight video that promoted ways to keep the Galapagos clean, in part by reusing plastic water bottles and picking up trash.

Before setting out on our first adventure on San Cristobal, we learned about the six-foot (two-meters) rule- humans must stay at least that distance from any wildlife. About 97 % of the Galapagos islands are in the Parque National Galapagos, established in 1959 and later designated as a world heritage site. Only natives of the Galapagos may lead tours and must receive approval from the national park.

The park has a list of other rules: stay on all trails and obey all signs including STOP, never feed the wildlife, and never take souvenirs from the land such as sea shells, lava rock, black coral, driftwood, or sand. Campfires, flash photography of the animals, and smoking are prohibited as are introduction of plants, animals, and certain foods into the islands. The park follows the leave no trace policy.

As a result of enforcement of these rules by park rangers, and environmental and quarantine officials, the near pristine scenery is fantastic.

After one dinner on San Cristobal, Dave and I walked alone along the boardwalk and saw hundreds of seas lions, most sleeping on adjacent beaches. But some rather large sea lions flopped on the boardwalk itself or in doorways of closed shops. Still others slept on park benches along the boardwalk. We were mesmerized by baby sea lions as they tried to wedge themselves among their elders, who warned them with a snarl, not to disturb them. Some youngsters nursed as their mothers tried to sleep, many along the stairs leading from the beach to the pier.

We traveled on a powerboat between the four human-inhabited islands by day. When we arrived at Isabela, the largest Galapagos island, a law enforcement officer and his young dog, a Belgian tervuren named Veronica, greeted us. Veronica dutifully sniffed our duffle bags and daypacks, and then looked around for pats. She sat on my feet as I patted her and then sidled up to another dog lover among our group! Her handler smiled and let her indulge in pats.

Unfortunately for our dog-loving group, Veronica was the only canine that checked our bags, at least within our view, when we arrived on each island. When we departed each island, our luggage and daypacks were inspected by humans to make sure we hadn’t stowed away any protected items or unwanted bugs. Officials were particularly concerned about any transfer of dirt or sand on our shoes or sandals from island to island.

Sea lions ruled part of Isabela too― occupying park benches during the daytime as they lazed in the shade. They enjoyed swimming in the bay where we kayaked one morning for up close looks at the world’s third smallest penguins and, blue-footed boobies. We paddled around an abandoned fishing boat that sea lions had taken over and made into their home.

Another morning, we traveled by power boat to a small island where we walked on a trail, carefully trying to avoid stepping on mostly small iguanas, before we stopped adjacent to a narrow, protected channel. There we watched in awe as baby sea lions, perhaps three months old, played together and even tried to entice small sharks to join their games! Later that day, we donned our wetsuits to snorkel in a protected cove to swim among huge sea tortoises and marine iguanas! An untold number of colorful fish species swam with us.

That snorkel was our third. We’d snorkeled among small sharks and a variety of fish off Kicker Rock, about an hour by speed boat off the coast of San Cristobal. And we’d been treated by the sight of two whales before we reached our snorkeling location! Some members of our tour, on another boat, spotted a school of dolphins.

The Galapagos also offers hiking opportunities. Dave and I, plus Nancy, a friend we’d met on our Nepal trek, and Pepo enjoyed a hike up the Sierra Negra volcano on Isabela island while our fellow travelers opted for another snorkel. According to Pepo, Sierra Negra is the world’s second largest active caldera (volcanic crater). It is enormous― spanning more than six miles long. We hiked about eleven miles roundtrip, primarily along a dirt road and then a dirt trail through the lush, dense countryside, quite a contrast to the hike to Hawaii’s vegetation-barren, volcanic summit of Mauna Kea. Pepo identified birds and vegetation, including cactus trees, looking like prickly pear cacti on trunks, as we walked through the lush vegetation until we finally reached lava fields.

We hiked on but only for about fifteen minutes before we’d walked about a fifth of the rim and reached a huge STOP sign at about 4,500 feet. Beyond the sign lay an area where the volcano had erupted in 2018. From the lava fields, Pepo identified the human uninhabited island of Fernandina, and the equator, farther out. We only met a couple of other hiking groups during our eleven-mile walk and thoroughly enjoyed the birds, butterflies, fauna, views, and peace that the outing offered.

We saw our first giant tortoises on Floreana, an island inhabited by only about 120 humans. Few people have the privilege of staying on this island which afforded us snorkeling opportunities as well as a visit to a tortoise breeding facility. Dave and I snuck in a private sunset walk along the shoreline out to jetty and an early morning stroll to the pier where a few sea lions and iguanas napped.

On Isabela, Pepo gave us an afternoon to explore by ourselves. Dave, Nancy, and I chose to walk along a beach punctuated only by a few birds and rock outcroppings. It reminded me of the peacefulness that I’d experienced on an early morning walk along a trash-free beach in Waikiki so many decades ago.

When we stepped off a water taxi that transported us from our somewhat larger boat onto a pier on Santa Cruz, we immediately felt that the island’s vibe was different than the others that we’d visited.

Later, we spied the first human garbage, albeit scant, along a highway shoulder on the way to a giant tortoise farm where these huge turtles freely wandered around to laze in the sun or in mud.

The following morning, we visited the Charles Darwin Research Center, situated on the edge of Santa Cruz’s most populated town, and home to giant tortoises including Super Diego, noted for his breeding ability. There, we noticed, for the first time, that some turtles lived behind barb wire fences. Security cameras monitored the area.  Pepo explained that these security measures were installed after some tortoises had been stolen from the facility.

Last fall, more than 120 baby turtles were stolen from an Isabela Island breeding facility, guarded only by a security officer. Earlier in 2018, a couple of dozen stolen adult tortoises were recovered in Peru, according to news reports. Unfortunately, the islands aren’t immune to theft and probably the black market.

During our trip, we didn’t see a barrage of tour boats docked at night in harbors, a sight that I’d anticipated after perusing tour brochures. We learned that most tourists stay on luxury boats but these vessels travel during the night from island to island.

The Ecuadorian government limits the total number of tourists who may visit the Galapagos to preserve its unique flora and fauna as well as wildlife. Ecuadorians who were not born in the Galapagos or who aren’t married to a local for ten years are treated as foreigners. An estimated 245,000 people annually visit the islands.

Since childhood, Dave dreamed of visiting the Galapagos, perhaps after learning of Darwin’s theory of evolution. Prior to our visit, I knew little about the Galapagos but now have a much clearer understanding of its unique and almost magical nature. A true treat for nature lovers!

We also thoroughly enjoyed an educational yet tranquil visit with our fellow travelers and our exceptional guide, Pepo, who each day exuded his love for and enthusiasm to educate us about the Galapagos’ uniqueness and charm.

 

Photo credits: Dave Olmstead took all the photos, except for the fourth and fifth shots.

 

Scroll down for a few more of Dave’s stunning shots: