Las Galapagos - Part 1

Santa Cruz

The first island we visited was Santa Cruz, the most developed of the Galapagos Islands. After debarking the plane into humid 80 degrees ocean air, we met our guides Julio and Maximo who would be with us for the rest of the trip. We took a boat from the airport to Santa Cruz and as we pulled into the port we saw sea lions lounging on the docks and iguanas strolling down the street! 

Santa Cruz

A blue footed boobie!

As an introduction to the island they took us to two craters called “Los Gemelos” (the twins) and then on a short walk to Las Grietas, cliffs that enclose a protected swimming areas. Most of us jumped off the 40 foot cliff, but even after puenting I was still terrified to jump.

One of the craters. It is hard to tell from this picture how deep it is.

Jumping off the 40ft. cliff. 

During our second day on Santa Cruz we walked through an 800 meter long lava tunnel and went to a national park to observe giant tortoises (called Galapagos in Spanish) in their natural habitat. Outside the lava tunnel was a barbed wire fence with a Galapago on the other side. We asked Julio about it and he told us that the fence marked someone’s private property. The property laws in the Galapagos are such that if you build a fence you have to make the opening at the bottom high enough so that the Galapagos and other animals can crawl underneath. There have been problems with this law, especially from farmers who complain that the Galapagos eat their plants. However, Julio said that most people believe that this law is important because the Galapagos inhabited the islands before humans and therefore, it is necessary that we respect them and share the land with them. In the Galapagos it really feels like the people live with the animals.

An owl at the entrance of the cave.

Inside the lava tunnel. 

While walking through the park we heard a loud groaning noise, and our guide excitedly told us it was the sound the male Galapago makes while mating. We found the pair a few hundred meters away. “You guys are lucky,” Julio told us, “it is very rare to see Galapagos mating in the wild.” Galapagos mate for an average of two hours and the male spends pretty much all of that time trying to find the right position – this is a hard thing to do because they weigh so much and move very slowly. While we were watching the male had to take several breaks.

Some other cool facts about Galapagos: We don’t know how long they live because the Galapago that was the first recorded birth of the species is still alive! But it is estimated that they live to be around 150 year old. Galapagos don’t have sex chromosomes. Instead, the sex is determined by temperature during the egg stage.

While in the Galapagos I loved thinking about what it must have been like for Darwin and some of the first European explorers to come here. This is what Darwin had to say about the giant tortoises:

"I was always amused when overtaking one of these great monsters, as it was quietly pacing along, to see how suddenly, the instant I passed, it would draw in its head and legs, and uttering a deep hiss fall to the ground with a heavy sound, as if struck dead. I frequently got on their backs, and then giving a few raps on the hinder part of their shells, they would rise up and walk away;—but I found it very difficult to keep my balance." 

To my disappointment, we didn’t get to ride on the Galapagos like Darwin, but we did get to try on a shell!

The local coffee was delicious as well!

That afternoon we took a two-hour boat ride to Isabela Island, the largest of the Galapagos Islands. Tourism just started on Isabela about 10 years ago, so it is less developed. Despite it’s small population, it is known for the best Carnival party on the Galapagos (Carnival is the equivalent to Mardi Gras in the US). During the boat ride I sat on top with the captain and two other friends. One of the crewmembers of the boat also sat up top with us. He hesitantly asked us if we spoke Spanish, and when he found out that we did, he spent the rest of the two hours telling us all about the Galapagos and answering all of our questions. 

On the boat to Isabela.

One of the most interesting facts he told us was about the penguins. He explained that the penguins here are very similar to the penguins in New Zealand. The penguins in New Zealand are the smallest in the world and the ones in the Galapagos are only a few centimeters taller. He also told us about one year when El Niño made the water unusually warm and many of the penguins died. It was amazing how much he knew and a great introduction to the islands.

Los penguinos.

The view from my hotel room.

Part 2 coming soon!