The Galapagos - Darwin, Giant Tortoises and Volcanoes

About 600 miles west of Ecuador lie the Enchanted Isles aka the Galapagos Islands. Isolated for centuries, the Galapagos is known for its unique species. Described as a 'living museum and showcase of evolution', the islands are unforgettable.

The five largest islands of the group are Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Fernandina and San Salvador. Cruising yachts are limited to 4 anchorages. We were able to visit 3 of the 4, Isabela being our favorite. Most of the islands have two or even three different names. The earliest charts gave the islands both English and Spanish names and then the Ecuadorian government gave them “official” names in 1892. Isla Santa Maria (official name), for instance, is also known as Floreana and/or Charles.

Our passage from Puerto Lucia Yacht Club, LaLibertad, Ecuador to the Galapagos was an uneventful, very pleasant five days. For the first time ever, we had crew with us. Having John aboard to share night watches was terrific and no one appeared to be sleep-deprived when we arrived at Puerto
Ayora.  The rules in the Galapagos and their enforcement change frequently depending on the Port Captain at the time. We read that four ports were legitimate stops for yachts, but upon arrival in Academy Bay, the Port Captain informed us that if we stopped there, there would be no other ports of call in the Galapagos. We opted to stay as this was the site of the Charles Darwin Research Station which was high on our list of “to see” spots. There were not many private yachts in the anchorage, but the number of commercial cruise boats was astounding. Tourism is the number one industry for these islands, but there is a fine balance to be kept between preserving the natural fauna and flora and allowing tourists to view and enjoy the area.

Isla Santa Cruz - Academy Bay - 00S44.90 / 90W18.476 - 25'

The anchorage was beautiful, but we rocked’n’rolled due to big waves that came in from the southeast. Most boats, including us, had both
bow and stern anchors deployed to try to minimize the roll. There were not many private yachts. Most of the boats we saw were commercial vessels: cruise ships, dive boats and local tour boats. The water was cool, but not cold and aquamarine, but not particularly clear for snorkeling or diving.

The first order of business is always the check-in with the Port Captain. The anchorage at Santa Cruz is called Academy Bay, but the town is Puerto Ayora. It is a beautiful little town though touristy and fun to explore.

We traveled to and from Nine of Cups via water taxi (taxi marino) to a
little dock since the little inner harbor was very with boat traffic going to and from the muelle (main dock).

It’s impossible to think of the Galapagos without thinking of Darwin. Charles Robert Darwin, (1809-1882), was a British naturalist who became famous
for his theories on evolution.  Like several other scientists before him, Darwin believed that, through millions of years, all species of plants and animals had evolved gradually from a few common ancestors.  From 1831 to 1836, Darwin served as a naturalist with a British scientific expedition aboard the H.M.S. Beagle.  The expedition visited places throughout the world, including the Galapagos Islands which he found particularly fascinating.  Based on his studies, he developed several theories concerning evolution. They were: (1) that evolution had occurred; (2) that most evolutionary change was gradual, requiring thousands or millions of years; (3)  that the primary mechanism for evolution was a process called natural selection (survival of the fittest); and (4) that the millions of species present on earth today arose from a single original life form through a branching process called speciation, by which one species can give rise to two or more species. Darwin set forth his shocking theories in his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (1859).  

Darwin Research Station

After checking in, our goal was to find the Darwin Research Station and check it out. This is the stuff dreams are made of. Whoever would have thought we’d be walking around in the Galapagos Islands one day in search of giant tortoises? Not us! There was no entry fee to the National Park and the Research Station. Visitors could come and go as often as they liked. The hours were sunrise to sunset. The trails were well-maintained and easy walking. Guides were located at several areas and provided interpretive information and talks, but in general, we were free to wander and
enjoy at our leisure… and we did. The park is located in an arid coastal area called “littoral”, dense with mangroves, low brush and cacti.

The giant tortoises are one of the main attractions at the Darwin Station. Whalers and sealers killed thousands of tortoises in the 18th and 19th centuries when they found the tortoises could be stacked in their holds and stay alive for up to a year, thus providing fresh meat for the crew. Giant tortoises can reach a weight of over 550 pounds… 3000 times the weight of a newborn hatchling. They are vegetarians and scientists estimate their lifespan to be ~150 years. One of the outstanding things about visiting the Research Station was our ability to get up close and personal with the tortoises. We were amazed at their size and also their slowness. But then, that slow pace is probably why they live so long!

A Visit to the Highlands … El Chato

We met a “camioneta” driver in town by the name of Jose Jimenez (not related to the Jose of Ed Sullivan Show fame). Camionetas are small pickup trucks used in the islands for taxicabs. Jose offered to take us to the highlands for a tour of El Chato, a wild tortoise reserve and location of lava tubes. There are three distinct vegetation zones on the island: arid, coastal and highlands and we wanted to visit all three to observe the differences

From the tortoises, we moved on to lava tubes. The lava tubes were formed thousands of years ago during a volcanic eruption. The huge lava flow cooled on the outside forming a hard outer crust, but the inside was still molten and the lava kept flowing, leaving a hollow tunnel in the middle. There are several of these tunnels on the island and we decided to explore one.

We descended a narrow, steep staircase. At first,  we used our flashlights, but soon a line of dim overhead lights came on. We could feel our way along. Jose told us there was one “low” spot to maneuver, but just how low can you go? We were on our bellies crawling through. At last, we saw the light. Jose offered to take us to more lava tubes. We politely declined. One was decidedly enough.

From El Chato we drove to Los Gemelos (the twins), craters formed thousands of years ago by the same volcanic eruptions that caused the lava tubes. There twin craters are on opposite sides of the road, with a small footpath to each. The bottom of crater is full of “moras”… local blackberry bushes. This zone in the highlands is noted for scalesia growth, a type of woody vegetation.

Tortuga Bay

One of the most enjoyable parts of exploring this island was taking hikes through the National Park. We were required to check in at the Ranger Station. The 1½ mile path to Tortuga Bay was a well-marked, bricked trail through arid brush and cacti. The trail brought us to Brava Beach, a surfing
beach. Tortuga Beach was a bit further down the coast aways and around the corner, calm and protected from the big waves. Small shorebirds dodged the incoming waves as they looked for snacks along the wrack line. Boobies, pelicans and great frigate birds swooped overhead as we walked along the beach enjoying the surf, the cooling breeze and fine white sand between our toes. We could see the turtle tracks from the sea to
the protected mounds along the shore. Marine iguanas sunned themselves on lava rock, posing handsomely for the camera. This is the only place in the world that marine iguanas are found.

The arid zone seems a contrast to the vast ocean which lies beside it. Lava rock is strewn everywhere interspersed with fine beach sand. The bleak dryness is offset by the blue, blue sky. Even the cacti work hard to contribute color to the scene. At the beach, it took us no time to dive into the cool refreshing water. We found a tree for shade and munched apples while watching a lazy sea lion do the back float across the bay. Then a large ray floated gracefully by. We weren’t definitely not the only ones who needed to take a dip to cool off.

Las Grietas

Another hike in the national park took us to Las Grietas. A “grieta” is a crevice or crack and this hike took us past a “salina” (salt pan) and to a very
picturesque rock crevice where the water played with light and rock to form a surreal colors. The salt pans were no different than we’d seen in the Turks or Bonaire. This salt pan just conjured up images of dying of thirst in the desert. Las Grietas, however, were awesome.

Around Town in Puerto Ayora

As we wandered around the town of Puerto Ayora, several things caught my eye including some very large carved Galapagos animal furniture pieces.

Isla Isabela - Puerto Villamil - 00S57.906 / 90W57.803 - 16'

Isla Isabela, the largest island in the archipelago, is 4,588 sq km.  The highest point in the Galapagos is located here, Volcan Wolf, at 5,600’ (1,707m). There are six volcanoes here which are intermittently active, the last eruption being recorded in 1988.  We anchored in a bay surrounded by reefs just east of town shown by the red "X" on the map. The best part of the anchorage was the sea life around us. Frigate birds and blue-footed boobies soared overhead before making dive bomb attacks at the fish below. Sea lions swam around the boat, hacking, sneezing and coughing. Galapagos penguins swam around the boat and on the nearby reefs. Penguins on the Equator? Yup!

Shaped like a seahorse, Isabela offered lots to see and do and was even more special because there weren't many tourists here. Funny, when we're on the boat, we never think of ourselves as tourists. The main town is little Puerto Villamil with a population of ~1200. The people are welcoming and friendly.

Our first task was to check in with the Port Captain. He was helpful and friendly and welcomed us for a 15-day stay. We wandered around town for a bit and it didn’t take long to get our bearings. We found the fresh market and bought a squash to have with our Easter Sunday dinner. A young man on a bike, Richar (no “d””), introduced himself, told us a bit more about town then offered his services as a guide to the highlands and the Sierra Negra volcano. We had heard about this tour and decided to take it later in the week. There were also several other hikes we could take ourselves and lots of reefs to explore with the dinghy.

I wanted to find PENGUINS! We thought they might be hard to find, but they found us. Swimming all around the reefs and right past the boat!

A penguin living on the equator? While it may seem strange, this is exactly where you find the Galapagos penguin, third smallest of the world's 18 penguin species. This penguin lives on the equatorial shores of Isabela and Fernandina Islands, where upwellings of cool, nutrient-rich waters provide an abundant supply of small fish. The Galapagos penguin moves around the rocky coastal terrain by using both its feet and flippers. When on smoother surfaces, however, the penguin hops forward in a series of small jumps.

How does an equatorial penguin keep cool? All penguins typically have thick layers of fat, covered by protective, waterproof feathers. While this is great insulation for their southern relatives (in the colder Antarctic region), it poses a definite challenge for the Galapagos penguin. To stay cool on land, they either hold their wings out at 45-degree angles to increase their body surface and release heat as air passes over them, shade their feet with their bodies as the breeze helps cool them down, pant rapidly and head for the shade, or best of all, go for a nice, cool dip!

There’s not much rest for a Galapagos penguin. In the water, they are preyed on by sharks, fur seals and sea lions. On land, major threats include overheating, starvation, or predation by introduced cats, dogs, and rats on Isabella Island. To avoid terrestrial enemies, penguins simply turn their backs and let their black coats blend naturally into the surrounding black lava rocks.

Birdlife and wildlife at Isabela is remarkable. Boobies, sea lions, penguins, gulls, frigates, and petrels all seem to live in a competitive harmony. They all feed on fish, but food seems to be abundant. There seems to be enough for all and life is good. We enjoyed watching boobies as they circled and began to dive, becoming more and more streamlined and bullet-like until they hit the water with a splash.

Sea lions are everywhere. We hear their breath sounds during the night as well as coughing, hacking and sneezing. They occupy fishing boats when the fishermen are away and boats with swim platforms usually have sea lions lazing on them. We wondered how they climbed aboard the boats but soon found out that they were very versatile in and out of the water. As a dinghy approached, they would stick their noses out of the boat, curious to see who was coming and what sort of hazard it represented to them. Though they were somewhat wary, they didn’t seem too frightened of our presence.

Volcan Sierra Negra

The western islands in the archipelago are more volcanically active than the eastern islands, Isabela and Fernandina being the most active of all. Fernandina’s last eruptions were in 2001 and 1995. Isabela’s last eruption occurred in 1988. Of the 6 volcanoes on the island, 3 are accessible, Sierra Negra being the most accessible of all. The topography changed rapidly from coastal arid sand to green highland grass to desolate lava fields where
little grew or survived.

Our trip to the highlands and volcano, Volcan Sierra Negra, with Richar was interesting, fun and very, very wet. We left the dock on an overcast morning via truck, then transferred to horseback for 8km. We left the horses as a light rain began and walked the final 7km roundtrip in the rain. This is the season ofthe “garúa”, a misty, drizzle that quickly turned into a downpour on the volcano.  Needless to say, not much picture-taking occurred.
We saw the  10km wide Sierra Negra crater, the second-largest volcanic crater in the world. We felt the hot air rising from fumeroles on the volcano. We saw sunken lava tunnels and the devastation caused by molten lava as it demolished everything in its path.

We trucked, we rode horseback, we hiked, we learned lots, we got soaked and finally we rested and ate.

Isabela's National Park Trails

The National Park trails on Isabela were terrific. There were several of them, all well-maintained and well-signed. We walked first to the turtle breeding center near the town center.  We had a closer look at the little fellows that would become the huge tortoises we saw at the Research Station in Santa Cruz.  Along the trail to the breeding center, we walked past a flamingo pool and were delighted to find several pink flamingos feeding. Everywhere we walked, we saw new animals or birds or flowers. There always seemed to be something to delight us and catch our attention.

Muro de las Lágrimas

At the end of 1945, a penal colony was established on Isabela.  A sad monument to the terror of this prison is the “Wall of Tears”, constructed by the prison’s inmates. The lava rock wall, 10m by 120m, is so-called because of the tears shed by the prisoners who died during its construction. Along the path, we passed a peaceful town cemetery and scenic views in sharp contrast to the story of the wall.

Sendero Las Tintoreras

One of our favorite trails, Sendero Las Tintoreras, was accessible only by dinghy. A short ride away, we maneuvered between reefs and
rocks and found a stone stairway leading out of the tiny bay up to a trail through the lava rocks. We had been told that white-tipped sharks were
caught in the tide pool during low tide, but none of the cruisers who had been there had been lucky enough to see any. It was our lucky day though
as the pool was full of them. Can you see the white tip on his fin? En route, we also spotted a ray and an octopus!

Isla Floreana - Puerto Velasco Iberra - 01S16.593 /90W29.53 - 50'

Isabela was a paradise, but as always we were itching to leave. We were told by other cruisers that the island of Floreana, once a viable yachtie stop, was no longer allowed so we planned to head directly to Easter Island. HOWEVER, it never hurts to ask. Right? Well, we did ask the Port Captain, if we might stop at Floreana for a couple of days and lo and behold he said “Claro” (Of course!). In order to stop, we had to have his permission, as well as the permission of the port captain at Floreana. He called the other port captain while we waited and even wrote out a little slip of paper with the information and stamped it with his official seal and signature. We were legal to go where few yachts visit are allowed. Because we are now more fuel-conscious, we opted to leave in the late afternoon from Isabela and sail the 34 miles overnight against a current and headwind.

TWENTY FIVE HOURS later (whew!), we arrived at  Puerto Velasco Ibarra, Floreana, after motoring 6 hours straight. We figured at the rate we were going (backward mostly), we might never have gotten to Floreana at all! The highlight of Floreana is Post Office Bay. Since the mid-1700s, whaling boats would stop here and leave mail or pick up mail to deliver at their home ports. The polite, but firm, Port Captain told us we were welcome to stay at anchor here, but Post Office Bay was open only to tourist boats. Bummer!  He would gladly accompany us for a rather large fee ($300US). We politely declined.

Floreana is the 6th largest island in the Galapagos and boasts a population of about 70-80 people. There wasn’t much to see. We decided to take a quick look around this tiny town, then head out. We did meet Erica, the granddaughter of Margret Wittmer, the woman who authored the book “Floreana”, about her life on the island from 1932-2000 when she died. We wandered around town, took some pictures and topped up the diesel before heading back out to sea.

Time to move on. At last, we’re heading to Easter Island. We spent nearly a month in the Galapagos and they are indeed enchanting. The effects of tourism are indelibly evident even though the Park is working hard to minimize the impact. Reflections on what impressed us most…

• The unique diversity of animal life here. Penguins, blue-footed boobies, sea lions, tortoises, lava lizards, marine iguanas, land iguanas and land birds
  

• Having read about Charles Darwin for so long and his voyage aboard the “Beagle”, it was like a fairy tale to actually be here. Darwin didn’t spend all that long here in actuality and he killed all his specimens in order to preserve them for future study. He wouldn’t be so welcome today.
  

• As John noted, in many places of the world the animals seem to exist at the whim of man; here they exist and survive, and man seems incidental to it all.
  

• The difference in the islands. Santa Cruz was touristy and busy. Isabela was much more laid-back, less touristy, but with some amenities. Floreana had little development at all.  It would be interesting to revisit in 10 years to see how things have changed.

For more information and reading on Darwin and the Galapagos, the crew recommends :

• The Origin, an interesting historical biography by Irving Stone.

• Floreana by Margret Wittmer, the story of a German family who moved to the Galapagos in 1932.

• Lonely Planet Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands... great guide book

• Galapagos Wildlife by David Horwell

• Mr. Darwin's Shooter, a novale by Roger McDonald

Up for a long sail? Come on along with us to Rapa Nui, Isla de Pasca… aka Easter Island.