Author: Maggie Page 12 of 36

We make a dry landing on South Plaza Island at 08.00. It is overcast but that does not mean that is not hot or humid. The path is rocky and we initially make our way uphill. This is the leeward side of the island and and there is not a breath of wind. The flora on this island is very different. There are low-growing drought resistant plants with yellow and tiny pink flowers.

There is lots of low lying cover here and fan-tailed gulls are nesting. It is incredible to be able to be so close to them and I spend time photographing this cute and demanding chick and its mum.

There are scrubby shrubs and giant cactus trees, some of which are probably at least 200 years old. The cactus only grow an inch a year.

Some are in flower and others bear fruit.

The island had rats which competed for food with the land iguanas. The rats ate the prickly pears and digested the seeds meaning that new cacti were not establishing themselves. A large area has now been re-planted and the cacti are protected by wire cages. The rats have also been eradicated too and the island is gradually recovering.

The views are magnificent but we are all starting to overheat and sweat trickles freely down my face, unable to evaporate and cool me. I drink copious amounts of water to try and stay hydrated. We walk over a lava flow that looks man made. It is white and shiny but just formed from a different substance form the original flow.

We see iguanas that are a cross between marine and land iguanas and only occur on this island. They like to eat the guava fruit and yellow flowers.

Bees abound and love the little yellow flowers…

… and crabs seem to enjoy the flora too.

We reach the crest of the island and relief; a breeze. Luxury as we feel our bodies gradually start to cool. We stand on top of the cliffs, savouring the cooling air current and watch tropic birds circling below us, before flying into their nests on the cliffside.

We return to Solaris and while we sail to our next island, Fabian gives us a talk about the ocean currents and effects on the water temperature and marine life. It is interesting. The Galápagos Islands sit on the meeting point of several currents resulting in five distinct environments and a huge range in water temperature between areas and seasons. This explains the huge variety and richness of the ocean here.

He then shows us a video he has made over the last five years of all the marine life that he has seen. It is exceedingly good and I tell him he should put it on You Tube. He would receive a lot of views for sure.

In the afternoon, we anchor at Santa Fe Island and snorkel. It is absolutely magical. Sea lions abound and seem to be everywhere around us. They play with sticks, pebbles, feathers and leaves. They turn somersaults and zoom between us. We stay with them for 20 minutes or so before continuing to the nearby reef. I have loads of video and have taken some stills from it – not the best quality but it gives a little taste of what we saw.

Fish are bountiful too and huge shoals swim below us. It does not seem possible that everyday we have a new encounter that tops the day before. For sure these islands are very special indeed and no two islands that we have visited have been the same.

We have half an hour to dry off and change before making a wet landing on the beach. The beach is well populated with sea lions – the most we have seen in one place. It is actually quite difficult to exit the water and walk up the beach without treading on one. There are lots of pups suckling and large males guard their harems. Even the path from the beach is blocked by sleeping sea lions that honk noisily at us as we disturb their rest.

We don walking boots for the rocky trail across the island where we are hoping to find the Santa Fe land iguana and the Galapagos hawk. Although the sea lions are stealing the show somewhat, there are still birds present. Pelicans sit on the rocks and watch the sea lions warily.

Mockingbirds sing loudly in the bushes as we pass by and a blue-footed booby poses on the rocks.

We do manage to find some land iguanas but today the hawk eludes us.

Before leaving Santa Fe, Fabian shows us one of the oldest cactus there – probably 300 years old. He suggests we all hug it and for some reason we do!

Tomorrow is the end of the North circuit so most of the guests will be departing. Just one couple will stay on board with us for the next leg. The passengers for this section have been very good company. Everyone has mixed well and I shall be sorry to say goodbye to them. We have all exchanged emails so I am sure there will be future contact.

Genovesa is the oldest island here and is now gradually the sinking into the sea. The bay that we are in is about 2 km in diameter and is formed from the collapsing volcanic crater. The number of birds nesting on the cliffs and circling overhead is astonishing. This morning we have a wet landing on the beach. Although it is only 8 o’clock the sun is strong and the coral beach blindingly white. A sea lion lazes on the beach and is guarded by a large bull who patrols the shoreline. We are advised to keep an eye on him as he will be protective of his family.

We walk up from the beach and there are thousands of nesting birds in the undergrowth and indeed on pretty much any vacant surface. I am treated to my first sight of a red-footed booby and they have now officially turned into my favourite Galapagos bird.

I presume that most people know about the Galapagos blue-footed booby but I had no idea about the red-footed one. The beak has the most beautiful coloration ranging from blue to turquoise to aquamarine to lemon pink and blue around the eyes. Just incredible.

The skies are alive with frigates and boobies. The boobies are collecting nesting material and the frigates are determined to steal it. Noisy battles take place. I try hard to capture the action. It is nigh on impossible as they wheel close above our heads, with the exposure ever-changing, against a brilliant bright blue sky.

Whilst filming the squabble, a juvenile swallow-tailed gull catches my eye. It has just taken off, the light is perfect and I capture a sequence that I am exceedingly pleased with.

We continue along the path behind the beach. Wow! I mean wow! Proximity to the birds is unlike anything I have ever experienced before. I wish I could just sit here all day with a large bottle of water and photograph the amazing bird life. However, we only have an hour so that must suffice. A mother feeds her chick a small squid.

Frigates and boobies seem to be nesting in every shrub.

We are all very hot after our walk, so go for a dip in the sea. The large male sea lion is still protecting the shoreline. We make sure to enter the water as far away as possible, but every so often he swims towards us and we have to clap our hands and back away. Generally see lions in the water are fine but the big males can be aggressive around mating time.

We return to Solaris for a quick change and to grab snorkelling equipment. Then, we deep water snorkel along the rocky coastline of the bay. Visibility is not the best and this is largely down to the vast amount of bird poop that the seabirds deposit in the water. Fabian, our new guide, is so much better than last week’s. He is informative without being contrary and lecturing, and even better, he snorkels with us and is excellent at spotting things that we may have missed. In the murky water we do manage to spot three turtles and then we are supremely lucky. Fabian finds us three hammerhead sharks. I mean hammerhead sharks snorkelling! Really? Oh my gosh! This is just mind blowing. I am lucky enough to see two of them and manage to capture a video of one, which is a scalloped hammerhead with a white frill on the front edge of the hammer.

In the afternoon some of the guests kayak along the coastline. I opt for a zodiac ride so that I can take photographs. We see some fur sea lions which are distinctly different from the sea lions we have seen so far. They have very thick fur, really cute with bear-like faces and big round eyes. Initially they were thought to be seals but, following genetic testing, it has been shown that they are a new species of sea lion.

Tropic birds nest in any available hollow….

Nazca boobies and iguanas occupy most other flat surfaces.

The final activity for the day is to go ashore via dry landing, walk up the steep Prince Philip steps and circumnavigate the top of the island.

The smell of ammonia is noticeable but apparently not nearly as bad as it will be in 4 to 6 weeks time. The birds are just beginning to nest and there are already newly hatched juveniles. Nazca boobies perform their courtship dance and make high whistling calls.

We are feet from the red-footed boobies, frigates, skewers and yet they totally ignore this. A mockingbird sings his beautiful song as it hops along the ground inches away at times.

The terrain is uneven and rocky but easily transversible with scrubby trees giving way to barren flat lava fields as we near the sea.

Genovesa Island is pristine. It has had no non-endemic species introduced. No goats, rats or non-endemic flora. It is very much as it has always been. This is totally down to its very remote location. Occasionally we spot flowers, but they are not common place and lichens grow on the low trees.

Today we are lucky for we also manage to see a Galapagos short-eared owl. It is a long way off, barely visible to the naked eye.

As we make our way back we see a golden-crested night heron sitting by the path and completely unfazed by our presence.

The humidity is high and clouds are forming over the island. As we make our way back to the panga it starts to rain. Fortunately it saves the very heavy stuff for when we have returned to Solaris, but it is still sufficient to drench us. We know, as the sea has now completely flattened and looks like glass, that there is more to come and indeed there is.

Dinner is really good – large garlic tiger prawns and apple pie.

Today we make a dry landing on North Seymour Island. The landing is onto rocks and we have been advised to wear sturdy shoes with toes. The bird life here is quite astonishing. Frigates soar in the sky and glide on the hot air currents. This is breeding season and the males have large red skin flaps beneath their beaks which they inflate like giant red balloons and make distinctive calls. Females sit on nests, some on eggs and some with demanding fledglings.

On the ground land iguanas abound…..

….as do blue-footed boobies. It is mating season for them too. They entertain us with their slow, alternate foot lifting and beak clicking. They are comical birds particularly when they look at you full-faced.

We slowly walk around the island on the designated paths. We need to create as little impact as possible. Both frigates and boobies have nests and we see eggs being incubated and fledglings still in the nest.

We then have a deep water snorkel along the same coastline. There are loads of white-tip reef sharks. I count fifteen during the 45 minute swim. There are also large shoals of fish but not as many as at other sites. I see a large puffer-fish, a large grouper and a pelican dives for fish a couple of yards from me. It surprised me somewhat.

The anchor is lifted and we moor by Baltra airport. A fuel ship docks beside us and we re-fuel. Unsurprisingly, it takes a while. I imagine a boat this size uses quite a bit with it’s three big engines. We are also introduced to a new crew member, Fernando. Yesterday’s issues are now explained. The cabin girl is no longer here, Kerli who served meals and ran the bar has been demoted to cabin girl and Fernando is running the bar and table service. He can make a cocktail, buzzes around with huge energy and makes the previous staff look pretty lazy. I am surmising, but I think the cabin girl quit and he is a manager acting in an emergency stand in role.

We then make the short passage to Mosquera Island. It is tiny and from the sea appears to just be a white sand spit. Not dissimilar to Sandy Spit in the BVIs, slightly larger perhaps and lacking the palm tree in the middle. As we approach the island we see a small hammerhead shark, which is pretty cool, and causes quite a bit of excitement.

I think this trip was undersold. We thought we were just having a walk on the beach and a brief swim. It was so much more. What we didn’t realise is that the sand is powder soft and so your feet sink into it.

The sea is crystal clear and aquamarine. Sea lions abound as do their cute and fluffy pups. They could not care less about people and you have to be really careful not to tread on them.

We have the entire afternoon free to walk, photograph or swim. I do all three and also spend time flat on my stomach trying to get eye to eye sea lion shots. It is a real luxury to be able to have some quality time to take photographs.

At the end of the afternoon there are splashes on the horizon. Modular rays are breaching. The pod must be huge as they seem to be jumping along most of the horizon. Eventually some leap closer to shore and I capture them on video. Nigh on impossible to take a still as you cannot predict where they will next launch themselves into the air. The shot below is taken from the video.

At the same time I am watching sea lions luxuriating in the warm sand.

Another amazing day in paradise.

Oh and there are huge shoals of fish around the boat after dinner and three large Galapagos sharks on night patrol.

An early start today – breakfast at 05.15. Everybody else on the boat is leaving, but first we will all visit the Charles Darwin Research Centre. There is a trail explaining the conservation techniques and showing the different animal species. It was a bit of a whistle-stop tour and really deserved more than the 40 minutes allocated.

We saw different tortoise species. There were saddle-back tortoises with curved shells and long necks allowing greater reach. The 150 year old cacti were also interesting with particularly striking bark.

Jane & I are back on the boat at 07.30 and planning to have a relaxing morning. I think the crew do not really want us on board and offer us a city tour. City is a bit of an exaggeration. Santa Cruz is nothing more than a small town and very touristy. We decline the offer. It is a little noisy on-board as the crew are cleaning the hull and decks, servicing the engine and checking lifeboats, etcetera

We are due to leave the boat at 1 o’clock to go to the highlands where we will have lunch and see giant tortoises. The village is adjacent to the national park where the tortoises are free to roam wild. People are not allowed to enter this zone but the tortoises are free to wander onto the surrounding land and ranches in their search for food.

I am just enjoying a beer when we are told the taxi is waiting for us. It is an hour early. Apparently the time has been changed but no-one thought to tell us. No matter. We don sun cream, pickup cameras and are taken ashore. We meet another couple on the dock who will be joining Solaris for the next circuit. Sea lions laze in the shade of the dock, avoiding the heat of the mood-day sun.

Two taxis await us. The other couple’s one leaves immediately. We sit by the taxi until 12.50. Apparently we are waiting for another guest who does not know about the time change either. Our driver loses patience with waiting and we head off. Annoying to have waited 45 minutes in 35C heat to no avail. I could at least have finished my beer had I known.

It is a 35 minute drive to the ranch. We are going to the highlands. Not that high but in the short drive the countryside changes from arid, virtual desert to a lush green landscape. I am very surprised to see bananas and sugar cane growing. As we near the ranch we pass undulating fields with cattle and the landscape is reminiscent of the volcanic uplands of Costa Rica. Giant tortoises amble along the road.

We have lunch and are seated at a table which has all our new fellow crew members. After lunch we are taken for a walk to see the wild giant tortoises. There are quite a few here and it is mating season. The first thing we see is a large male trying to mount a much smaller female. It certainly looks clumsy and hard work for the male who has trouble staying on top. A guide leads the walk and tells us lots about the ranch and also tortoises. 

This area is volcanic and very fertile. At the end of the walk we are taken through lava tunnels. These were made by hot lava flowing fast under a cooling crust. It is very much like being in a cave but disconcerting as in places large chunks of lava have fallen and looking up I can see fissures and cracks.

The roof clearly will collapse at some stage and I would prefer to not be under it when that happens. We go through 3 tunnels and at the entrance to one we see a sleeping Galapagos barn owl. A very lucky encounter!

We go back to town on a tour bus and are given an hour to browse before finally re-boarding the boat. I think there has been  some sort of staff issue today. The new arrivals say that their cabins are dirty with bins not emptied. I have no towels in my room. This is different from last week when everything seemed pretty well prepared.

Alexis, our guide has now gone home to Guayaquil and we are introduced to our new guide Fabian. He seems very personable. All the new guests are very sociable and already mixing and introducing themselves which bodes well.

After dinner we spend time on deck and watch a pelican fishing from the back of the boat.

We go ashore on Rabida Island with red beaches and cliffs. There is a large pool and 20+ flamingos wade and sift the water for shrimp. I take what I think are good shots and then discover yet again that the camera end of the lens has fogged. I detach it and let the air dispel the ring of condensation. It only takes a few seconds and the quality of images is significantly improved.

There is a mocking bird in the bushes…

…and a juvenile hawk hiding low in a tree.

We make our way back along the beach and a pair of oysters catchers are feeding a chick on the shoreline. I sit down and keep still. The chick is curious and so close that I think it will peck at my toes. Too close for pictures at this stage!

We then snorkel along the rocks at the end of the bay. The fish life is good but this is not the best snorkel here and the current on the swim back was quite strong. On entry a cloud of comb jelly fish hang below the surface. They are benign and do not sting.

We then make passage to Chinese Hat. This is an island created as a vent from the main volcano and its shape is indeed very much like a paddy planter’s hat.

We make a wet landing on white coral sand. Two sea lions laze and are occasionally cooled by the lapping waves.

A third sea lion comes ashore. It is inquisitive and makes its way towards us. It takes a liking to me. I am crouched down and think I will have the most amazing shots as it approaches within 3 feet of me. But guess what? The flipping lens has fogged up again and I dare not move to clear it. Frustrating. This is not to say that I did not take some decent shots however. Just not as incredible as they could have been.

We walk along the shore. It is a truly beautiful place. There is loads of coral washed up on top of the lava.

Up until the late 1980s there was a thriving coral reef here. However there was an extreme El Niño then and the coral has died. I did see tiny corals regrowing in one or two spots, which is encouraging, but there is a long way to go.

We walk across the jet black eroded lava and watch a heron stalking fish in a rock pool and a marine iguana sunning himself on the rocks next to a sleeping sea lion.

The snorkelling here was incredible. There was little current and good visibility. Four penguins pretty much swim into me….

I see a large white tip shark…..

…but abort following him because an eagle ray has swum below me going in the opposite direction.

I then encounter the penguins again….

….and find four huge white tip sharks sleeping under a ledge. Just wonderful. It is hard to describe just how special these encounters are. I have snorkelled for years but never experienced anything like this.

This is the last night for everybody else on the boat and they will leave tomorrow. We are lucky and have two more circuits to make of the North and South islands and I am sure these will be just as varied and amazing as the Western Circuit. The crew all line up for a farewell drink. Kerli, the barmaid, has made a revolting green concoction.

The saving grace is that she is very economical with the quantity in each glass, so it’s easy to down it in one ghastly gulp. This is penny pinching on a ridiculous scale. The welcome drink was no better and also served as a minuscule measure. It sends a really negative message. Why on earth the crew cannot buy a couple of bottles of cava and give us all a full glass of something drinkable is beyond me. Likewise running out of white wine is not OK. This was not a cheap cruise by any means.