Galapagos Islands - 8 day boat cruise

After Quito we took a flight to Baltra, one of the two airports on the Galapagos, which took about 2 hrs (via Guayaquil, Ecuador´s largest city). From the airport we took an airport bus to the ferry that took us to Santa Cruz island, the most central island of the Galapagos islands. From there we took a bus to Puerto Ayora, the main town.

The Galapagos Islands, isolated some 1,000 km (620 miles) off of Ecuador's coast, contain much unique plant and animal life. The islands consist of 6 main islands: San Cristobal, Santa Cruz, Isabela, Floreana, Santiago and Fernandina (the last two uninhabited). The islands have a total population of 19,000 inhabitants (not including the temporary visitors who number about 3,000). The islands are widely scattered and have never been connected with the continent. Gradually, over many of hundreds and thouands of years, animals and plants from over the sea somehow migrated there and as time went by they adapted themselves to Galapagos conditions and came to differ more and more from their continental ancestors. Thus many of them are endemic: a quarter of the species of shore fish, half of the plants and almost all reptiles are found nowhere else. Since no large land mammals reached the islands (until they were recently introduced by men) reptiles were dominant. A very extraordinary feature is the tameness of the animals. The islands were uninhabited when they were discovered in 1535 and the animals still have little instinctive fear of men. All of the islands are volcanic and different animals can be found on different islands (some of them can only be found on one or two islands).

There is not much to Puerto Ayora, but it is a nice town with a pretty harbour. Accommodation is expensive here and we struggled to find a double room for less than USD 25 (and did not even have a hot shower). On day two we were lucky to find a hotel for USD 20 which had hot water.

On July 1st we would start an 8 day boat cruise on a 2 mast Schooner called Encantada, and it would take us to various islands and dive sites. The Encantada was one of the two boats that first came to the Galapagos to do cruises in 1970.

In Puerto Ayora we visited the office to try on our wet suits (7mm as the water in the Galapagos is cold around this time of year) and find out more about the 8 day itinerary. Encantada is one of the few tour boats which allowes their paasengers to dive.

A month ago they introduced a new regulation which forbids cruise boats to carry divers. As some of you may know, the Galapagos islands, the first place on the planet officially designated as a World Heritage site in 1978 (with the boundaries extended in 2001), has recently been declared "in danger" by the UN.

Experts say that the 19 islands and surrounding ocean area under threat from "invasive species", increased tourism and growing immigration. The number of days spent by passengers of cruise ships has increased by 150% over the past 15 years. So we were quite lucky to be able to dive still and were looking forward to seeing the underwater life, especially Hammerhead sharks, which can be found on various sites across the Galapagos.

In the 3 days before our boat cruise we explored the island. We walked a 45 mins walk to Tortuga Bay, apparently one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos. Here is where we saw loads of huge sea iguanas (the only seagoing lizard in the world, it eats seaweed) and sea turtles. Sea iguanas and sea turtles can get up to 40 years old, which is a lot less than the ones that live on land (60 years for land iguanas and up to a 100 years for land turtles).

In the harbour of Puerto Ayora itself we watched fisher men bring in their catch of the day and albatrosses, sea iguanas and Galapagos sea lions ´fighting´eachother to catch whatever the fishermen left behind after cleaning the fish. It is true that the animals here do not fear human beings and it is amazing how close you can approach them.

Day 1 - Baltra and Seymour

On July 1st we waited for our fellow passengers to arrive at the airport (we were the only ones arriving a couple of days before the start of the cruise) and met our guide Juan, a local from Santa Cruz island.

We were 12 passengers in total: a couple from San Diego, a couple and their daughter from New Jersey, 2 girls from Australia, one guy from the UK and a mother and daughter from Berlin. It turned out to be a very nice bunch.

The guide took us to our boat, which would leave from the harbour in Baltra, close to the airport. First we had lunch, were introduced to our crew (all local men: engineer, captain, cook, dive master/cleaner and a boat man, ) and were shown our cabins.

The Encantada is a 2 mast Schooner, measuring 21.44m in lenght. It is a tourist class superious boat with 6 double cabins (with bunk beds) and 5 crew members. Not a bad boat at all although it could do with a bit of maintenance (as you will read later on...).

After lunch we set off to Seymour and were taken around Black Turtle Cove by Zodiac. This is where we saw Blue-Footed Boobies dive into the water catching fish, sea turtles, pelicans and Sally lightfoot crabs (red crabs) - sea pictures!

After the Zodiac tour we went back on board and had dinner, quite a treat after all those months of eating backpackers food... The boat set off for Rabida island, west of Baltra.

Most of the passengers went to their cabins around 9pm, but we had to discuss our dives with the dive master. He did not seem to be bothered and said we would talk tomorrow, but wetold him we really wanted to do this tonight. Turned out that on Saturday, he was caught diving near Espanola island by the National Park guards and was told that he could no longer dive there with passengers. This happened after we spoke to the owner of Encantada on Saturday morning. He did not want to risk losing his license and seemed very reluctant to discuss our options. With the help of the captain and Juan, we managed to calm him down and he was willing to dive with us but only on his conditions and we had to dive at 6am the next day so there was little chance of being caught by the guards.. So we did not really have a choice in dive sites, which really pissed us off. Tal was so irritated that she told Juan that she did not want to dive if the dive master had an attitude like tat. So, not a very good start for us!

In the end we agreed to dive the next morning, so turned in early as we had to get up at 5:30am...

Day 2 - Rabida and Bartolome Island

Tal did not sleep much last night as she was still irritated by what happened last night and very nervous to dive. We got up early and found a very grumpy dive master. He was barely willing to assist us with our dive gear and basically rushed us into the Zodiac. We drove to to beach of Rabida island and started our dive from the Zodiac. The water was pretty cold, but our 7mm wetsuit did its job. The site wasn´t great and the visibility poor, but we did see a couple of parrot fish and a turtle. After the dive we went bacl onto the Zodiac and saw a huge Manta ray on the way back to our boat. We dove back into the water and although it was pretty quick, we did manage to see it. Manta rays are very big (this one must have been 2 meters) and are black with white tipped fins. I guess seeing the Manta ray was more impressive than our dive!!!!

Back onto the boat, the rest of the passengers had started breakfast, so we joined them. At 8am we went ahore with all the passengers and our guide and walked a 500m trail which lasted 2.5 hours (yes, we soon found out that Juan likes to walk extremely slow...). We saw loads of cacti as well as sea lions and pelicans breeding. Some people snorkelled after the walk, but we thought it was too cold as we did not have our wetsuits with us! After our walk we had lunch (delicious again) and in the meantime the boat sailed to Bartolome island.

After lunch and a siesta, we visited Bartolome island. We climbed the summit (300m) with beautiful views and walked a 600m trail (1 hr). After that we went back on the boat to disembark again for a wet landing and a visit to the beach where we had some time to ourselves. Here we saw some penguins (very small ones). Back on board we had a hot shower and dinner at 7pm (shrimps and cauliflower, needless to say we were excited!).

After dinner we tried to talk to the dive master abour our next dive and he said it was up to us to decide when and where. So we mentioned Gordon Rocks (the best site to see Hammerhead sharks), but all of a sudden he mentioned that we could only dive tomorrow morning at 6am and he was no longer willing to do any more dives with us as he was going on holidays on the 15th and would be diving and did not want to risk his license. This really pissed Tal off and we decided we would not dive, but talk to the guy at the Encantada office in Puerto Ayora to discuss the whole diving issue (we would have an afternoon off in Puerto Ayora on Wednesday). The dive master did not seem to mind really.. We had never had such a louzy dive master before and it was really disappointing as we chose the Encantada for its diving possibilities.

At 9pm the boat set off for Genovesa island (about 6 hours) and everybody went to bed, so we did the same. The sea was really choppy and Tal had to take a sea sickness pill..

Day 3 - Genovesa Island

We had arrived at Genovesa island at around 4 am this morning and many of us were knackered after a bumpy journey. We also have a very noisy generator, which does not help either.

After breakfast we had a wet landing on Darwin Beach. We walked a 700m trail for 3 hrs and saw loads of wildlife: Red-Footed Boobies, Nazca or Mask Boobies, nocturnal seagulls and Frigate birds. As this is the end of the mating season, most of the birds would have chicks or would be sitting on their eggs. Most Boobies lay two eggs, but depending on the availability of food, often only one chick survives. We saw one male Frigate bird trying to impress a female Frigate bird by inflating the red flab below its beak. It blows up to the size of a bright red, medium-sized balloon with black dots, a fantastic sight. The male then 'dances' around the female, making impressive sounds with its ´balloon'. We snorkelled afterwards and saw a big Eagle ray and some Parrot and Angel fish, but the water wasn´t very clear.

After lunch we headed for a different part of the island, via Philip Steps (named after Prince Philip who visited the islands many years ago). On this part of the island we saw the rare Galapagos Owl (hunting for mating petrels, there were hundreds of them). There were many sea lions as well and we wished we could have snorkelled here as they come up to you really closely.

We had to be back on board at 4pm as we were sailing to Plazas Island, some 10 hrs away. We were sitting at the back of the boat, chatting and watching out for Sperm Whales as this is the spot to see them at this time of year. Unfortunately we did not see any. After dinner, three of us watched a video about the Galapagos (as the other passengers had gone to bed) and went to bed around 9pm. There really is nothing else to do at night and we are all pretty tired after a day of exploring and taking pictures.

Day 4 - Plazas and Santa Cruz Island

Last night the generator broke down and so there was no electricity or water when we woke up. We were told that the generator was 2 years old and is supposed to last 4 yrs (but Juan also told us that they start failing after 2 years - I guess he was right!).

We disembarked early at 6:30 and walked about an hour and saw sea lions and land iguanas (different colour to the sea iguanas and they get a lot bigger). This island has quite an unique vegetation compared to the other islands. Had breakfast at 8am and waited for them to fix the generator as we could not lift the anchor without it working!

We got to Santa Cruz island (where we spent our first 3 days) around 12am, and were taken ashore after lunch. Two camionetas (pick-up trucks) picked us up from the pier and took us to the Charles Darwin center, a research center where several rare sub species of giant tortoises are maintained. Here we saw Lonesome George (80 years old), the only giant tortoise left from Pinta Island (all others were killed as a result of goats and humans eating them for their sweet meat as well as using their shell for jewellery and leather goods). They have tried introducing two females of a similar breed, but after 20 years of searching for a mate, George is still not interested. A real shame as this species will become extinct when George dies in about 40 years from now.

The rest of the afternoon was free for us and so we visited the Encantada office to express our frustrations about the diving. The owner apologised and tld us that the boat was no longer allowed to carry divers, but he did offer one last dive. Unhappy with the unprofessional and reluctant behaviour of our dive master, we told him that we preferred to have our money back. As by now we had lost all confidence in our dive master and were not prepared to dive with him. We did get to rent our wet suits for free for the duration of our cruise for the inconvenience caused.

After checking the many pictures we had taken so far in an internet cafe, we had some coffee and cakes at our favourite bakery and met up with the rest of the passengers on the pier at 6:30pm. By then, the couple from San Diego (Billa and Susan) had left as they had booked a 5 day cruise. they were replaced by a rather boring couple from Denmark.

After dinner we watched a documentary on Great Whites (not to be found on the Galapagos) and in the meantime the boat had set off for Floreana Island (6 hrs).

Day 5 - Floreana Island

After breakfast (which was disappointing considering the fact that they had stocked up yesterday in Puerto Ayora), we went ashore at 8am.

We visited Post Office Bay, once one of the two post offices in the world (besides South Africa). It is now used in a symbolic way, put people still post letters and postcards with the idea of other passengers delivering it to the addressees once they visit the island. Juan showed us where the Pacific Green Sea turtles lay there eggs (400 eggs every two years). Only one egg survives. Green Sea Turtles are an endangered species. Turtle eggs are eaten and pigs and rates frequently destroyed their nests. Hawks, herons, mockingbirds, and frigatebirds prey on young hatchlings. If these young turtles make it to the sea, fish and sharks hunt them. Baby turtles also get confused by the lights of the cruise boats when trying to make it to the sea. So next year, all cruise boats need to carry yellow lights.

The turtles spend most of their lives in the ocean. Adult shells grow to 3 ft (1 m) in length with a body weight of up to 400 lbs. (180 kg). Males never leave the sea, but females come ashore on beaches to nest and lay eggs on several of the islands.

After the turtle lecture we descended into a 40m long cave (some did not go in as they were claustrophobic). When we reached the beach we snorkelled for an hour or so. The weather was nice and the water very clear. At one point we saw 5 sea turtles togethter. One of them must have been at least 1 meter long. It came up really close and we both managed to touch it shell. We also saw an octopus, a reef shark and loads of colourful fish.

After lunch we got into the dinghy and went snorkelling around the Devil's Crown, a rock formation which falls away to a reasonable dept. Here we saw more turtles, loads of fish and a big white tip reef shark. There was a seal ion playing in the water with its cub and they seemed to enjoy playing with us. This was by far the best day so far and it was amazing to be able to swim with the sea lions. Tal even managed to touch one (much to the annoyance of the guide).

We also saw Blue-Footed Boobies dive into the shallow water on the other side of the rock formation and catch fish. With our masks and snorkels you could see them trying to catch the fish under water. The boobies can reach a speed of up to 100km per hour when doing so!!!

Back on the boat we got out of our wetsuits and went ashore at Punta Cormorant. Here we walked a 300m trail and saw flamingos, white tip reef sharks, turtles and sting rays in the shallow water close to the beach. There were no sea lions here as the sting rays attack them. We got back on board just after sunset and took off for an 8 hour boat ride to Espanola island.

Day 6- Espanola Island

After another rough boat ride we arrived at Espanola Island. Some people on board were feeling bad due to lack of sleep and the rough boat journeys and it definitely wasn´t easy to get a proper night´s sleep!

We disembarked on Punta Suarez and walked a 2km trail, passing red sea iguanas and Waved Albatrosses (only to be found on Espanola). Once albatrosses find a ´partner´they stay together for life, contrary to many of the other birds on the island. We saw them perform mating rituals and breed their eggs. On Espanola we also saw Blue-Footed and Nazca Boobies.

After lunch on board we sailed to Gardner Beach (1 hr) where we snorkelled for about 1.5 hrs (a bit disappointing after yesterday´s snorkelling trip).

At 3pm we set sail for San Cristobal (5 hrs) and spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on deck watching out for the Humpback and Minky whale. After mating, these whales swim to Ecuador following the cold Humboldt current (coming from the north and south poles) and spend 4 to 5 months west of Isabela Island where the water is deep (2km). In December they leave the Galapagos again. Unfortunately none of us spotted a whale.

At 9pm the generator stopped working again (third time) so we could not do much and decided to turn in early.

Day 7 - San Cristobal

When we woke up the generator had still not been fixed, so no shower and we were having a hard time finding our clothes in our cabin! At least we had been able to sleep well as there was no noise as long as the generator was off.

San Cristobal has 10,000 inhabitants and is the political capital of the Galapagos. Los Lobos is the visitors area of San Cristobal and this is where we disembarked at 6:30am. We did not see any new animals, but we did witness the crew members trying to fix the generator from the shore. At some point there was so much smoke coming out of the exhaust that we felt bad for the animals in the water... By the time we got back on board, they had fixed the generator (and although we thought breakfast would be yogurt and cornflakes we had bacon and eggs!).

During breakfast we set off for Santa Fe Island, 4 hrs away. After lunch we visited the island and had a review of the animals (land and sea iguanas, cacti) and snorkelled from the dinghy (some more white tip reef sharks, turtles and asting ray).

Late afternoon we sailed to North Seymore, which took another 5 hrs. These last few days have been less exciting as we have seen pretty much all the animals and we are spending a lot more time on board.

Late afternoon we spotted a couple of Killer whales (Orcas), which made our day. They were swimming so closeby that we even saw the white pattern on their skin.

Day 8 - North Seymour

Today was our last day and our last visit was North Seymour. After breakfast we vacated our cabin and were taken to Baltra (30 mins), where we caught the bus back to the airport.

We said goodbye to the rest of the passengers who were on a later flight and got to Quito around 3pm.

It was kind of nice to be back ashore (and we both suffered a bit from motion sickness after 8 days on the boat), but these days have been a truly amazing experience. Hopefully the pictures do it justice...