Most people go to the Galapagos Islands to see the wildlife found nowhere else. Animals stare back at you instead of running away. A lot of conservation, research, and sustainable tourism are in place to protect the fragile ecosystem. Our permit only allowed us 3 days so we made the best of our time seeing wildlife and eating out.

Giant Tortoises

Giant Tortoises are found only on the Galapagos and in smaller numbers, on a few islands in the Indian Ocean. The word Galapago is an old Spanish word for a saddle, similar in shape to the tortoise shell. San Cristobal island has a semi-natural environment used as a breeding center and reserve for giant tortoises. It was well worth the visit.

Sea Lions

Sea Lions are everywhere. They’re fun to watch but they sometimes make a nuisance of themselves. One morning we awoke at 4am to find 2 seal lions on the swim platform (no big deal), and 2 more that had made themselves comfortable in the cockpit, with one of them lounging on a cushioned seat! Around town they also go wherever they want.

Iguanas

Land and marine Iguanas can be seen everywhere walking around Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the capital of the Galapagos Islands.

Birds

The Galapagos Islands are know for a wide variety of birds. One of the prettiest is the Blue Footed Boobie. There are many species of finches, known collectively as Darwin Finches. They have a wide variety of beak shapes and were the most important inspiration for Charles Darwin’s evolution theory.

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

We went scuba diving in a bay just north of where we anchored. Visibility was not great but we saw a shark and lots of reef fish. We also snorkeled on a popular beach and saw playful Sea Lions. Underwater photography is difficult without high end dive cameras but here are a few shots using an iPhone in an underwater case.

Misc.