How do I begin to write about how amazing my experience in the Galapagos was? I literally just don’t know how to, so I have decided instead to tell a bit through the photos, which don’t even begin to show how magical and crazy creature filled this place is…
GIGANTIC TORTOISES
On day 1, we went straight to a farm in Santa Cruz that has wild Giant Tortoises living there. I knew I was going to love the place when we were held up in the minibus by a tortoise in the road!! A massive tortoise that filled the whole road!! This place was particularly nice because the tortoises are completely wild there and so not living in a breeding centre.
IGUANAS
Iguanas are just ridiculously cool and there are so many different types on the islands. This first massive guy was just hanging around on the port as we docked to visit the island of Santa Cruz. To my Honduran friends… you really couldn’t eat him – he would definitely eat you first!
We then went to an island called ‘Cerra Dragon’ because there are so many Iguanas there. These iguanas looked different to others I’ve seen before in terms of their colour and generally looking like dragons more than a species from this planet. We came across a couple in… ahem… the act of love…
And I finish this section on iguanas with a new boyband set up by the galapagos iguana community… (I don’t take credit for the name)
SEALIONS
How has this post got this far without a mention of a sealion?? Sea lions are everywhere in the Galapagos and there are generally really friendly and not at all afraid of humans. When you are snorkeling, they will come and play with you in the sea – dancing around in the middle of a group and nearly coming right up to your mask. When you are lying on the beach, they may well be right next to you along with a few sneezes and fishy farts. I spent a morning sitting right next to a baby suckling it’s mum. It’s very important not to touch them though, even though it is very tempting as they seem like big sea dogs… but the smell of human means their group would no longer recognise them and they wouldn’t survive – especially a baby.
These next photos are from the family beach day… where we spent the morning hanging on the beach while the family of sealions frollicked around us.
PENGUINS
Penguins are pretty difficult to photograph as they a really quick and jump into the water at the first sign of a tourist paparazzi. However, I got lucky on one day and I’m so glad for that as they are super cute…
SCARY RED-EYED SEA BIRDS
These are like seagulls but with menacing red eyes. We were told the name, but I prefer my name for them it’s more fitting…
CRABS
There are lots of menacing looking red crabs on the beaches. They are called Sally Light Footed Crabs for some reason and their colours look pretty impressive next to the black volcanic rocks.
This is the end of part one of a potentially pretty long series of photos… I haven’t even really started and these aren’t yet my favourites. Flamingos, Turtles, Frigate Birds, Blue Footed Boobies, more Tortoises, Lizards, Fur sea lions, Pelicans… etc etc… A LOT more to come….