written by: Christian Castaneda
Galapagos Islands – face to face with a Giant tortoise
Where else can you walk next to the Giant tortoise, share a beach spot with sea iguanas, and contemplate the sunset in shorts, next to dwarf penguins?
If/when I have a kid, I will have some life wisdom I plan to share with him or her that I already know about: start saving money early, carry a healthy lifestyle, and go to the Galapagos Islands to see Mother Nature at its best. So, he/she can experience the magical moments I mentioned above, in one of the most magical moments I’ve had in my life.
Galapagos Islands. From Quito to Baltra
I hired a tour to the Galapagos directly when staying in Quito, Ecuador. It was all-inclusive, minus the plane ticket. I would advise that if you decide to go on a tour, you book in advance. If you have more time or are on a budget, I would advise you to use Google and prepare the trip by yourself. That will allow you to end up paying less than all-inclusive tours.
My trip started from Quito, Ecuador, to the Island of Baltra; one of the two islands you can fly to from mainland Ecuador. Worth mentioning for your planning is that there are no international flights to Galapagos. My flight was with TAME Airlines*; although other options exist, such as Avianca, LATAM, etc. It’s a +2-hour flight with a stop in Guayaquil (Ecuador’s largest city). Prices range from 300$ to 400$, depending on the time of the year you go.
* Side note: On May 20, 2020, the Ecuador government decided to cease all operations and liquidate the airline
Santa Cruz Island and Puerto Ayora
The plane lands in an old US military base from WWII, converted into a cosy little civilian airport. Once you pass the controls on the island, the local personnel advise you to wait at the main gate for the buses that will take you to the ferry. By ferry, you will get to Santa Cruz Island, which hosts the town of Puerto Ayora. It is one of the main stop points in the Galapagos. My first hotel was also located there.
Only once at the airport gate did I realise that the buses we were waiting for were not exclusive to us, people travelling with a tour, but were aimed at the general public.
Worth knowing:
- The Galapagos Islands were the source of Darwin’s theory of evolution and remain a priceless living laboratory for scientists today.
- You’re not supposed to go anywhere alone, as this tiny island is entirely deserted and preserved. All the Galapagos Islands are protected as part of the Galápagos National Park.
- The Galapagos Islands, also known as the Columbus Archipelago, were declared a Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 1979.
- The Seymour Airport in Baltra is also known as Galapagos Ecological Airport.
Galapagos Islands. Imps of Darkness
The landscape looks arid, and the rocks look as if you had landed on another planet. As I look around to avoid making eye contact with fellow tourists, I see the bus in front of the bus stops and then our bus stops as well. What’s going on? There’s no traffic since there are not many cars in the Galapagos.
I have come to realise the reason why we stop. Is that a group of sea iguanas hanging around the main road? Therefore, the bus drivers kindly stopped for the delight of our tourists to see these small black-lava coloured creatures. These iguanas also look out of this world, and they inspired the swimming creatures from the Alien movie franchise. Charles Darwin himself chose to call them “imps of darkness”. It is more fascinating than Hollywood-related trivia once you learn that they are the only iguanas on the entire planet that dive and function underwater. They exist “only in the Galapagos Islands”.
This will become a recurrent theme during the trip. Plenty of “only in the Galapagos Islands” creatures and situations will be seen.
Galapagos Islands. From Baltra to Puerto Ayora
Once arriving at the ferry, the transfer from Baltra to Santa Cruz was quick. It took about 15 minutes. Once on the other side, the tour operator apologises as we’ll have to wait for fellow passengers who were somehow delayed. All I can do is walk around the parking lot of the ferry station. Usually, this would not be enjoyable, but it doesn’t take long to realise that shallow, clear water creates perfect conditions for a natural aquarium experience. Colourful tropical fish, wall-climbing crabs, and exotic birds make the whole waiting experience a pleasant memory.
Galapagos Islands. The giant tortoise
The Galapagos giant tortoises are the largest living species of tortoise. Modern Galapagos tortoises can weigh over 400 kg, but those over 200 kg are already considered giant. Today, giant tortoises exist only on two remote archipelagos: the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, and Aldabra – the world’s second-largest coral atoll, Seychelles. The Galapagos tortoises are native to the Galapagos Islands. With an average lifespan of 100 years or more, it is one of the world’s longest-living animals.
Galapagos Islands. Puerto Ayora
Once in Puerto Ayora, we stopped at the hotel to drop off our luggage, and almost immediately, the first activity started: visiting the Charles Darwin Station. It is a natural reserve/natural museum. You can learn there about the natural preservation efforts of the scientific community on the island. You can also learn about their efforts to maintain the equilibrium of this natural treasure, unique in the world. An equilibrium, so delicate that maybe future generations won’t be able to enjoy it anymore (thus, I hope my kids still get to see it the way I got to see it). And at Charles Darwin Station, we saw our first Galapagos giant tortoise. As much as you picture them to be big, they are bigger.
Galapagos Islands. Sea iguanas experience
After visiting Charles Darwin Station, we had the afternoon free, so we walked around Puerto Ayora and its beautiful beaches. While at it, we ran into another group of sea iguanas. We started taking enough selfies next to them, to grab this once-in-a-trip chance. We noticed locals ignored the iguanas but were friendly to us. After walking some more around the beaches, we realised that the sea iguanas are everywhere. No reason why the locals didn’t mind them. Also remarkable is how the iguanas are not afraid of you. Later, we learned that people in Galapagos grow up knowing how to respect animals. All tourists are therefore advised not to disturb them. And the animals are remarkably not afraid of humans and don’t feel threatened by us.
Puerto Ayora – fisherman’s dock, sea lions and gigantic pelicans
Walking further into the town, we see a group of people photographing a fisherman’s dock. A fisherman had arrived and was starting to clean the fish. This attracted tourists and a group of sea lions and gigantic pelicans.
The sea lions reminded me of my dog when I ate something she liked and gave it to her. The sea lions were trying to get the attention of the fisherman, and they were waiting patiently until he would throw them something. Not before the pelican tried to grab the pieces of fish first.
This show happened as a tourist teen who didn’t get the memo that she shouldn’t get a selfie too close to the pelican. And so, the pelican scared the hell out of her by almost biting her arm. Everyone was laughing, except for her and her family, who got scared at such an angry bird.
Muelle de Puerto Ayora – SeaWorld aquarium
At night, after dinner in our hotel, we went out to walk and see what the local life looked like. About 20 min. We walked from our hotel, quite close to the city centre, and ran into the Muelle de Puerto Ayora. It is a dock where we saw the local families and local teens would go to hang out. Next to the pier, there are parked boats. We see sea lions, which are so used to people that they don’t mind you taking photos of them from a meter or so distance. This walk turned out to be highly entertaining without really expecting it.
Finally, walking deeper into the dock, we see families looking into the water and pointing. Kids are looking in awe. Tonight we are lucky! We see plenty of sharks, manta rays, and other tropical fish I can’t identify, passing by and swimming close to the surface. The first day without much effort became one of my most amazing experiences in years. It’s like SeaWorld aquarium, only natural, in the open air, and with animals that you will see “only in the Galapagos”.
Galapagos Island stories
Depending on the reception of this post, I may post about my next days in the Galapagos. I saw their penguins, swam with sharks, and walked to a volcano crater. I also visited a farm with gigantic tortoises in their natural habitat.
Christian
Useful links:
- Galapagos Conservancy, the only U.S. nonprofit exclusively dedicated to the conservation of the Galapagos Islands
- National Park of Galapagos
- Galápagos Marine Reserve and cooperation with WWF