The Galapagos Islands

This place is incredible!

I am so glad that we decided to come, the experience is like nothing else. We did a cruise for 3 nights which was ok, but ever since we left it and have been doing our own thing, it has been fabulous.

The islands are like a tropical paradise. It is the end of the rainy season so everything is lush and green and the weather has been idyllic; hot and sunny every day and the water beautifully warm. 

Baby Marine Iguanas at Tintoreras

A little penguin  on the rocks at Tintoreras

I was expecting everything to be barren and windy and life harsh, but it is quite the opposite. This is definitely a place that you could hang out in for quite some time. A very laid back island vibe! Who knew that people come here to surf?

La Loberia on San Cristobel Island - full of sea turtles, sea lions, fish and rays

Tortuge Bay  on Santa Cruz - a stunning soft white sand surf beach that stretched for a mile! We saw baby black tip sharks swimming in the shallows right at our feet!

 So, my misconceptions aside, these islands are spectacularly beautiful and the wildlife is incredible!

We have seen heaps of marine and land iguanas, giant tortoises, sea turtles, sea lions, an amazing assortment of tropical fish and birds! The blue footed boobies are favourites, as are the magnificent frigate birds!

Magnificent Frigate Birds with wing span wider than my arms.

We've snorkelled almost every day, even out on the awe-inspiring Kicker Rock in the open ocean. I wish we had an underwater camera because that was where things got most exciting. We've seen Galapagos (vegetarian) sharks, sea lions, rays and turtles all at a very close distance. Almost every time we have been in the water a world of colour has opened up before us, and despite our 90 plus sunscreen we both still got sunburnt!

Kicker Rock - The channel that we snorkelled through. Awe inspiring!

Leon Dormie - Sleeping Lion or Kicker Rock

I didn't expect it to be so beautiful. Alongside that though is the fact that there are a lot of people living here -  definitely more than I thought. Too many considering that they have only been populated since the 1920s. Feral goats, cats, rats and dogs are all problems which are affecting wildlife, as is agriculture and habitat destruction. It seems, as is typical of people the world over, they don't seem to fully appreciate just how precious what they have is.

All up this has been an experience that I am so pleased to have shared with Eva. She has been amazingly brave and able to handle everything, sea sickness, snorkelling with sharks, last minute changes & cancellations, walking for miles in the midday sun and sleeping in the worst hotel ever – called the Albatross - of course!

She has promised to bring me back here in 10 years time so I'm keen to hold her to that!

On Isla Plazas on our last day