Visited August/September 2018

As a nature lover, the Galapagos Islands had always been on my bucket list. And they didn't disappoint a bit.

Being quite a remote destination, I assumed that probably I'll never go back, so I decided to spend most of my two week vacation there. I wanted to visit a few diferent islands in order to see diferent species of plants and animals and it took time.

There are two ways of seeing the islands, one is on a cruise and the other one is staying a few days in some of the inhabited islands and taking day tours from there. The second option is becoming more and more popular, and it was what I did because it gives you the chance to enjoy local life.

I visited three inhabited islands, Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristóbal, and took several tours. I was very interested in seeing some specific species, so I read a lot before chosing the tours I wanted and booked everything online. It is not necessary, unless you are a planner or you really want to take a specific tour. I was offered all the tours while I was already there. End of August and September are considered low season there, because there is less sunlight (although it's dry season), it is less warm, the water is pretty cold and the seas are rougher. But it is a great time to see lots of marine life, and some species are easier to spot.

Some things I did while in Santa Cruz Island:

- Charles Darwin station: in Puerto Ayora, the main town in Santa Cruz Island. A great place to learn about the islands and some conservation projects. You can also see lots of giant tortoises that they breed there, in order to take them back to their habitats. It's a must, especially if you do it at the very beginning of your trip. It is incredibly exciting to see the first animals around Puerto Ayora on the way to the station. And the first time you see a giant tortoise, even if it is in captivity, is hard to forget.
- Tour to South Plaza Island: Only possible by private guided tour, therefore very expensive (around 200 usd). It is a very small uninhabited island east of Santa Cruz, close to it. It is home to some amazing plants, like the red sesuvium and the opuntia cactus. It is a great place to see land iguanas and sea lions, and it has a huge bird colony, mostly of swallow tailed gulls with their chicks. You can easily spot cactus finches, one of the species that let Darwin develop the evolution theory. I really recommend this tour, even though the snorkelling in Punta Carrión was not very good.
- Santa Cruz highlands: You can do it by yourself, no tour or guide needed. It's the easiest way to see Galápagos giant tortoises in the wild. Most people hire a taxi for the day, and the driver takes you to Los Gemelos and to the tortoise ranch and the lava tunnels. I took a bike with me on the taxi, and cycled all the way back to Puerto Ayora. I only recommend doing that if you don't mind getting wet because of the mist and full of mud, and I must say it is physically challenging. But what a day it was!
- Tortuga Bay: A 30 minute stroll from Puerto Ayora takes you to a white sand, turquoise water, beautiful beach. It is not suitable for swimming, due to the winds, waves and currents, but you can see lots of wildlife, especially marine iguanas everywhere. You can do it by yourself.
- Las Grietas: A natural swimming pool surrounded by cliffs that can be used as a refreshing spot on hot days. If the weather is not good for swimming there is not much to do there.
- Tour to Bartolomé Island: Another expensive (around 200 usd) private tour that I really recommend. This one is not so much about the wildlife, although it is possible to see penguins, but about the scenery and views. The iconic pinnacle rock is there. Different tours take you to different snorkelling spots, I really recommend Sullivan bay in Santiago Island, as you can see amazing lava formations at the beach there. I could see lots of fish, turtles and was lucky enough to encounter two little penguins swimming and fishing in front of me.

What I did on Isabela island:

- Wall of tears: I did it by bike, but you can also walk there. Isabela island had a penal colony in the 1940s and 1950s. The prisoners were forced to build a wall for no reason, they had to do it under very bad conditions and lots of them died there. You can visit it and it is quite impressive. Apart from the wall itself, you can climb to a viewing point to see how pristine and unpopulated this island is, and you can also see some beaches and lagoons with marine iguanas, sea lions and pink flamingos. I ran into a couple of giant tortoises on the way. It is a good thing to do, but it is a long walk.
- Sierra Negra Volcano: I did this tour because I had booked it before the eruption in june 2018. At the time I was there, you could not do the whole tour for safety reasons, but you could see the caldera. It was an OK experience, and I really like a hike, but I think it was expensive (60usd) for what I saw there.
- Los Túneles: I paid 140 usd for this tour, but it is worth every penny. You must like a dip in the water to do that one, because you spend a long time snorkelling. But I couldn't believe my eyes. So many fish, including eagle rays and sting rays, some sea horses, more than ten huge green turtles chilling and eating peacefully, and plenty of sharks! Outside the water, we saw a lot of blue footed and nasca boobies, some of them feeding their chicks and even mating in front of us. If you are on a budget and can only do one tour, choose this one.

In San Cristóbal Island I visited:

- Española Island: Another 200 usd private tour, and another highlight. This is a very remote island and it takes a long time to get there by boat, near two hours. It is the only place in the islands where you can see the waved albatross as they have a big breeding colony there. I saw lots of these huge birds and their chicks. There were also lots of other birds there, especially boobies. You can also see many marine iguanas and sea lions. In this island I saw a Galápagos hawk too. The snorkelling was really fun because you swim with playful sea lions, and the reef there is particularly beautiful. It is a must.
- San Cristóbal interpretation center and Cerro de las Tijeretas: Another free activity. The interpretation center of Sant Cristóbal has a lot of information about the history of the islands and I found it particularly interesting. A climb to Cerro de las Tijeretas, or Frigatebird Hill, gives you the chance to see frigatebirds from close.

It is an expensive and remote destination, but having the chance to see so much wildlife from such a close distance was something I had never experienced before and I will not forget. Boat travel is not comfortable in the islands, and some prices are too high, especially for Ecuadorian standards. But I would definitely do it again.