A word about us and organized tours… so far we have been traveling independently and purchasing day tours to see specific sites. For the first-time we decided to buy an all inclusive tour package from Quito Ecuador to the Galapagos Islands. Even with all of our tour research and our understanding of the pros and cons of tour packages we were still surprised by how much we did not like the tour. All of the hurry up, go here, wait there quickly worn on our nerves. The tour company did a very poor job of informing us of times, locations and what we should take for each days activities. As an example on our last full day the schedule said we would be picked up at 8 am for our boat ride to another island. At 6:55 there was a knock on our door and there stood the tour guide telling me we had five minutes to be ready to leave. We bailed out of bed, jumped into our swimsuits, hastily packed our day pack and were out the door. I didn’t even get to brush my teeth. It’s a good thing I had some gum and mints. Needless to say we were not happy to be rushed out without coffee or breakfast.

With that said, we really did enjoy the Galapagos Islands a great deal. Formed from volcanic activity, 18 main islands, 3 smaller islands, and 107 rocks make up the Galapagos. Judging from pictures we had seen of the Galapagos, Santa Cruz Island where we stayed in Puerto Aroya was much more touristy than we expected. It has the largest human population in the archipelago. Of the two airports that serve the Galapagos we flew into Baltra Island where a bus took us to the ferry for the short ride to Santa Cruz Island. Driving away from the airport we were struck by all of the concrete pads that once held US Military buildings during World War II. After a forty minute shuttle van ride we were in Puerto Aroya, a cute little waterfront town. Oh and look what we found in Puerto Aroya, a shop named Clovis!

Our tour included many adventures. One day we caught a water taxi across the harbour and then walked about 15 minutes, crossing Alamen Beach (named for the large German population who settled in the area), to get to Las Grietas Canyon. There’s a mix of salt and sea water inside the rocky walls that is great for swimming.

Santa Cruz Island is a large dormant volcano. It is estimated that the last eruptions occurred around a million and a half years ago. There are many lava tunnels that tourists may visit and walk through.

We found the animals to be very uninhibited. The iguanas, tortoises and sea lions laid where they wanted when they wanted. The Marine Iguanas laid around the sidewalks like fat, lazy dogs. During our visit to the island’s highlands we got to see the giant tortoises in their natural habitat. Visitors had the chance to see (and try-on) the shell of a two hundred year old tortoise. Of course Michael could not resist.

During a hike to Tortuga Bay beach we saw these colorful crabs. We were surrounded by marine iguanas showing off their surfing skills.

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A two hour boat ride took us to the island of Isabella (the largest island but with few residents) where we visited a tortoise center. Here they gather the eggs and care for the hatched tortoises for about ten years before they are released into the wild. Mammals that have been introduced since the time of the Spanish like rats, horses, dogs and cows threaten giant tortoise survival. Rats and dogs eat the eggs in the nest while horses and cows trample the nests so the naturalists rescue the eggs.

We also saw these Pink Flamingos in their winter home.

A theme that ran through our entire time in the Galapagos is the constant effort being made to maintain the fragile ecosystem on the islands. Leaving the Quito airport involved an extra baggage check to make sure we were not bringing any organic substances (plants, animals, insects) with us. The zippers on our bags were zip-tied closed. During the flight the crew went through the cabin and sprayed insecticide into the overhead compartment just in case any insects were on board. When we arrived at the Baltra airport our luggage was checked again and was sniffed by a very friendly Golden Retriever looking for drugs and organic substances. Traveling from one island to the next also involved baggage check and a zip-ties.  It is a constant struggle to make the ecosystem available to tourists while protecting it for the future.