I was originally going to include the Galapagos Islands in my blog post about Ecuador but during some Saturday contemplation as I was compiling yet more photos I decided to give these islands the attention they most definitely deserve.
The Galapagos islands is a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean situated off the coast of Ecuador and in my opinion some of the most beautiful islands in the world. As I type this, I can safely say that it's my favourite place of all our worldly travels. Nature, flora and fauna like no other place we have been and a true paradise for the nature lover. You may even be lucky enough to get engaged here like we did which is also just another little reason why I adore this place and why it holds a special place for me.
The isolated terrain of the Galapagos shelters a diversity of plant and animal species many which are found nowhere else on earth. Charles Darwin visited here in 1835 and his observations of the Galapagos species later inspired his theory of evolution. Sir David Attenborough also famously visits these islands charting the archipelagos rise from the ocean millions of years ago and looking at its unique wildlife which is presented in the most stunningly captured and narrated documentaries. Once asked by Travel Weekly where he would recommend above all else for the nature enthusiast his response was, 'I would recommend the Galapagos Islands to anybody who has the means to go'. After visiting Isla Ballestas in Peru or more accurately known as 'the poor mans Galapagos' with its abundance of birds and sea lions, I just knew we had to find the means to go to the rich mans Galapagos even if it meant spending every last cent we had. To cut a long story short, we landed on the island of San Cristobal on June 4th 2019 ready for our 10 day wildlife adventure.
San Cristobal Island
The first stop on our Galapagos tour was to the island of San Cristobal. Almost immediately after arriving on the island, there was already an insane amount of wildlife encounters from chilled out sea lions sunbathing on the beach to marine iguanas camouflaged by the volcanic rocks in which they nestled, so camouflaged in fact that at one stage I nearly stepped right on top of one as we traversed along the black coloured rocks by the oceans edge. Another animal which we got sight of instantaneously was the sally lightfoot crabs which are brightly coloured coastal scavengers found in huge numbers in nearly all the beaches on the islands.
I already just loved it here and couldn't wait to see what other beautiful wildlife we would encounter!
The great thing about the Galapagos is that much of the wildlife can be seen for free with merely a stroll along one of the village peers. However, if you really want to get to see the true gems of these islands, you need to dig deep into your pockets. Seeing as this was a once in a lifetime opportunity destination, dig deep we did which meant for the next 10 days we would live off the local rice and fish 'menu del dias' which were cheap, cheerful and actually rather tasty.
Our first day trip excursion was to the magnificent 'Kicker Rock'. This jagged rock formation that towers above San Cristobal can only be visited by boat and you must be accompanied by a tour guide at all times to ensure the precious wildlife is preserved...something I was totally ok with considering I'm not one for an expensive guided tour. This spot is home to a large array of birds including nazca boobies, blue footed boobies and frigate birds but the true beauty of this area lies below the surface. Kicker Rock is known to be an excellent place to spot a huge array of marine life including thousands of tropical fish species, Galapagos sharks, turtles, rays and if you're lucky enough...... hammer head sharks! I guess we were extremely lucky as during our time snorkelling in the open waters we saw all of these marine animals and more. Even the reef on the rocks was beautifully colourful. But the icing on the cake was certainly the huge school of hammer sharks that were swirling below us. For our first excursion, we were certainly blown away!
Santa Cruz Island
Our next stop on our Galapagos adventure was to the Island of Santa Cruz. After our incredible experience snorkelling at Kicker Rock, I thought that we had already seen the best of what that these islands had to offer...how could you beat swimming amongst a school of hammer head sharks! However, Santa Cruz, would give us a different sort of experience and that would be the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the islands most unique birds and some of the most beautiful scenery of the archipelago. Of course with any of the islands here, we were also constantly surrounded by an endless number of playful sea lions and slithery sea iguanas.
Peurto Ayora is the economic hub on Santa Cruz with many restaurants and souvenir shops. However, the main reason people come to these islands is for the wildlife. The bay here is a great location to spot some brown pelicans scavenging for free fish at the daily food market. Many sea iguanas, frigate birds and sea lions hang out here too which is fantastic as no money needs to be spent in order to see some of the Galapagos wildlife. These animals live happily in harmony amongst the islands residents which is a great thing to behold.
The first day trip we signed ourselves up for here was to the island of North Seymour. This island is one of the most important fishing sites for the marine birds in the area. Arriving to the island by boat, one would be forgiven for thinking that this place was desolate of life with its low bushy vegetation. However, once on foot this notion quickly changes. After a 2 km track crossing the inland of the island and the rocky coast line one quickly realises that this place is teaming with life. We had the opportunity to see a huge array of nesting birds including blue footed boobies and magnificent frigate birds with the males puffing out their bright red throat pouch in order to attract a female. The male boobies take great pride in their fabulous feet where during mating season (which we were luckily enough to be present for) show off their feet to prospective mates with their high stepping strut. The bluer the feet the more attractive the mate. It was a fascinating sight to witness.
Strolling around the island we also got a glimpse of many other wonderful birds both big and small including flamingos, a wide array of finches and herons. Who knew that birds could be so fascinating!!
Not only were birds a common sight on the island of Santa Cruz but there was plenty of opportunity to see more resting sea lions who seem to have the ability to plonk themselves in the most inconvenient places.
Another great thing about these Islands are those glorious sandy beaches that seem to stretch for miles. Some of these beaches have even been listed as the best in the world. While the Galapagos is a destination where we were always in constant activity, we took advantage of the time to relax when we could which was made quite easy being on such beautiful beaches. The sight of some sea iguanas also added to the enjoyment of our surroundings.
Another day trip on Santa Cruz we decided to splash the cash for was to Isla Bartolome. This is probably the Galapagos Islands most picturesque destination. Here we had the chance to climb (a lot of steps!) to a view point and look out across the magnificent ocean. It was quite fascinating to see all the islands of the archipelago dotted around us. The walk here brought plenty of sweat to our brow so to cool off we did a little snorkelling in the dazzling clear blue waters below where we were lucky enough to get the amazing opportunity to swim along side two rare Galapagos penguins who were fishing for their dinner, diving deep under water through large schools of anchovies. We were rooting for them each dive they made in the hope they would catch themselves some food but on only a few occasions were they successful. None the less it really was an incredible experience. How many people can say they have swam with penguins?...thankfully now we can!
Isabela Island
The last stop on our Galapogas adventure was to the Island of Isabela. Isabela is the largest island of the archipelago, almost four times the size of Santa Cruz. Despite being the largest islands by area here, it's only home to about 2000 people making this island the ultimate paradise where nature and wildlife dominate. This was by far my favourite stay and not only because of its beauty, the turtles, the marine life, the lazy sea lions but for the fact that Paul asked me to marry him....and of course I said yes yes YES!!
On Isabela we splashed the cash yet again for two tours of the area. One being to see yet more awesome marine life and the other to see the remnants of the historical volcanic activity of the archipelago.
As Isabela is a relatively young island, it doesn't seem to follow the same vegetation of the other islands. The relatively new lava fields that have developed here have lead to some interesting landscapes and although barren in appearance, ooze their own unique beauty and wildlife. Sierra Negra is a large volcanic field in the southern end of the island. It's the most active volcano in the archipelago with the most recent eruption being in 2018. The landscape here displays striking bursts of red and rusty colours with lava tubes dotted throughout. The caldera here is also somewhat unusual. For those that don't know, a caldera forms from the result of a collapsed underlying magma chamber. The caldera here is impressively huge being 7 x 10 km in size and is easily the largest in the area. Although wildlife spotting is one of my favourite things, learning about the unique volcanic landscape here was equally intriguing.
The sight of penguins was never something I thought I'd ever get to experience, with the belief that most are only found in the far flung corners of the globe in bitterly cold and inhospitable environments. Well, to my sheer delight, there was another tour on offer here where we could get one more opportunity to spot these beautiful animals. The next afternoon, us and a group of others headed out on kayaks in the hope of getting a glimpse of the penguins.....and boy were we not disappointed! Dotted on the black volcanic rocks just off the coast of Isabela, a large group were resting in the evening sunlight. Standing at just 50 centimetres, it is the second smallest penguin in the world. These penguins exhibit a black head with a white border running from behind the eye. It's the only penguin found north of the equator as the cool waters allow them to survive despite the tropical climate. It was a privilege to get the opportunity to get such an intimate look at these rare and beautiful animals.
Some of the most picturesque beaches are found right here on Isla Isabela and after a few very busy days out on the water and touring the islands, we decided to rest our tired bodies and spend a day soaking up the sun at one of the many beautiful golden sand beaches. It was here where I had the magical moment when Paul finally asked me to be his wife! The evening sun was beginning to set, the daily hoards of sun soakers were slowly leaving to head back to their hotels and the pelicans were in full swing, catching their fish dinners. Paul suggested we walk close to the waters edge and watch the pelicans dive from high above into the water. At this point I didn't suspect anything. With nobody around, Paul proceeded to get down on one knee. I can't remember what loving words he expressed (I can only assume it was something nice!) to me in that moment but I do remember starting to cry due to a mixture of sheer joy and utter shock while eventually saying YES! In true Paul and Niamh style, we celebrated this special occasion with two hefty street burgers and a few expensive beach side cocktails. Nothing glamours but it was just perfect. A perfect end to a magical stay on Isabela.
The next day and sadly one of our final days on these islands, we headed back to the island of Santa Cruz where we would catch a flight back to mainland Ecuador. But before we said our goodbyes, we made our way to the highlands of Santa Cruz where the famous giant tortoises can be found. This area hosts some of the largest populations of these dome shaped creatures. Just one of the many reasons why seeing these giant tortoises is such a special event. Winding paths in this reserve make their way through the changing vegetation and as we walked through the greenery, the tortoises appeared like large boulders shining under the wavering sunlight. There were so many nestled in these highlands! It was almost difficult to keep track of just how many we saw. Slow yet persistent, these marvellous creatures enjoy nesting and feeding here with no fences stopping their march, paying little heed to the humans who come to admire them.
Once safely seated on our flight back to Ecuador, we felt tired but happy, even a little nostalgic at all we had just experienced. As we soared high into the sky I became so acutely aware of the wonderful trip we had just had. The sadness at the fact I had to leave such a special place began to fill me. But with a myriad of stories and experiences to share and remember fondly, at the same time I felt extremely privileged.
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