Isla Isabela 1: Puerto Villamil & Tintoreras

Arriving just on sunset the crew was very glad to drop anchor in daylight (just) as the entrance was narrow and the charts an approximate view only. We sometimes forget that there is no twilight on the equator, the sun sets and it is dark. There is a fabulous anchorage at the main town Puerto Villamil behind the reefs and Tintoreras islandswhich is a bit shallow for big monohulls at 3.5m but perfect for catamarans as we joined 3 others already here.

Isabela is the largest of the Galapagos islands and one of the most recent. Isabela is dominated by a series of volcanoes which erupted as recently as 2018. The island is sold as one that is closest to nature because there is only one town, an areas that is kept for tourists, the rest of the island is national park where you need permits to go to with a tour and a guide.

The island is serviced by fast ferries from Santa Cruz twice daily with the first ones departing early (7 am) as they overnight here. These local ferries were intriguing being high-speed 25kt launches with 4 big 250 or 300hp outboards on the back. They seat about 25 people and as far as we can gather are privately operated. We figure petrol must be cheap here.

The town, there is only one, is quite cute with some paved roads, some lava gravel roads and some giving way to sandy tracks along the beachfront.

The main beach is beautiful with a series of rock points and miles of golden sand. The island attracts a lot of surfers and surfboards are a common accessory on bicycles and scooters.

When we arrived we decided to do at least two tours maybe three as there are few places you can go without a guide.

Day 1 Tour of the Tintoreras.

The Isla Tintoreras is a very popular and fascinating walking and snorkelling spot copnsisting of a group of lava rocks/islands next to the anchorage at Porty Villamil. Five boats take visitors twice a day. Here are some of the animals and birds we saw on our two-hour trip.

The islands are mostly bare larva rocks with a white most on the windward side and a green most on the leeward side. Interspersed around the island are red mango trees that send down several roots that hold them upright in the wind.

Sea lions

The sea lions are the first animals you see when you come arrive on the yacht, they are everywhere. They jump up on the boarding areas at night, especially the little ones, but were usually gone by daybreak. They are also all over the dingy dock when you try and go into town and as you get off the local guide boat onto the Tintereras Islets the sea lions have taken up residence on the visitors’ seats. Geordie has decided he was missing his dogs and he could just as easily have a couple of sea lions as they are so friendly and social.

Penguins

Our guide informed us that the penguin here is the third smallest in the world, the 2 smallest are our Little Blue and the Australian Little Blue which are almost identical. The galapagos penguin seemed very unconcerned about us, and when we were snorkling they would zoom by as fast or faster than a sealion underwater. This was probably their defence against becoming dinner for something bigger.

A Shiver of Sharks – White Tips

TheWhite Tip sharks were resting in slots in the rock in warmer water with groups of 20-30 at a time ranging in size up to 2 metres. They are nocturnal feeders and move out to colder water for food, resting up in the warmth during the day. The larva channels they were resting in also contained turtles and sea lions, and since the sharks are regarded as a non-aggressive shark, we happily swam through the slots. Apparently, in the Pacific islands people get bitten on the legs by these guys when wading in shallow water but not when swimming.

This was the first time we had seen white tips, previously we had +20 black tip sharks under our boat in Puerto Ayora. It was a bit of a leap of faith to dive into the middle of a school of sharks which of course all scattered as you hit the water. As we were looking at what to call shark groups we dscovered that a group of sharks is called a “shiver”. We felt this was very approriate when you lookdown before you jump.

Marine Iguana

Marine Iguanas are everywhere, sitting in the sun on the larva rocks and swimming. They lay their eggs in the more shingly areas, which are often the paths that have been made for visitors. The result is that the paths need to be shut.

Birds

There are a huge range of birds to see on the Glapagos islands. We had been unable to find any blue footed boobies close up on the other islands and now was our chance.

Boobies

The legendary Galapagis boobies have finally been found with all 3 three species together. in the same area. These guys are great to watch fishing as they dive into the water with their wings folded back. Their stereoscopic vision so good they can adjust their dive angles for the light refracting in the water, often diving from 20-30m up. From the yacht they just appear as they plunge down. Some are capable of reaching up to 20m below the surface and use their wings to swim underwater. The farest ranging is the Red footed booby which is found off shore, the next is the Nazcar and then the Blue footed is found inshore.

Nazcar

The Nazcar eats flying fish and usually lays 2 eggs a day apart. The first to hatch will push the other egg out of the nest similar to fratricide in Ancient Rome

Blue Footed Booby

The Blue Foot eats sardines and the colour of its feet is attributed to its diet. They have an elaborate mating dance with the male whistling and the females grunting. The male does a display showing his feet to the female who chooses the one with deepest blue feet. Obviously this bloke will be a good provider on the basis that males with the deepest blue feet are the best fishers. Those with pale blue don’t get to mate and need to practice more.

Up to 3 eggs are laid a day apart with the later hatching ones only being fed if there is enough food available. The first born is the golden child!

Red Footed Boobies feast on squid and the colour of their feet is once again related to their diet. We have seen a number of these around the boat and in earlier blogs have posted photos of them sitting on the rails while we are at sea.

Pelicans

Pelicans are also plentiful in the area often single ones by themselves and also some nesting in the mangroves. We love watching these guys fly at low levels where they skim across the water in what would appear to be ground effect. Clumsy on the ground and on take off they are magnificent fliers. They are a coastal bird and are seen on all the islands.

The Galapagos versions skim across the water in search of food, often in groups, and when they spot something they use their speed to climb and then plunge dive into the water to fish. We have seen groups of up to 20 doing this which is quite spectacular like an aerobatic team.

Frigate Birds

There are 2 species of frigatebird on the Galapagos, the Great frigatebird and the Magnificent frigatebird which to our untrained eyes look very similar (and equally grand). These birds are fantastic fliers and can soar for hours with barely a flap of their wings. With their big wings and small legs and feet they are generally unable to take off from the water and their feathers, which have no oil, get saturated and thats the end.

As they cannot swim they do not land on the water and instead chase other smaller birds that have caught food in an attempt to get them to drop it so they can scoop it up. They also prey on flying fish and squid on the surface of the ocean.

Interestingly, we did see them land briefly on a freshwater lake in a crater on San Cristobel where they appeared to be washing themselves. This doesn’t rate a mention in the bird books and perhaps is a Galapogos specialty.

Brown Noddy Tern

We only saw two of these birds while we were there, both on the same rock. They are apparently plentiful and feed on sfish and squid in shallow waters. Geordie was very excited by them!

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

These birds often feed at night and on crabs .

Whimbrell

The Whimbrel is a large shore bird with a down turned beak and feeds on worms and molluscs. They are seen on the mudflats in Galapagos but go to Alaska or Northern Canada in summer. Geordie only saw one of these on this tour.

Green turtles

All around the area you see the green turtles. This was out towards the yacht and they were also in the larva cracks where water was warm and the sharks were resting, lying on the bottom near the sharks. They seem largely unconcerned when we are snorkling around them unlike those in other places where the protection is somewhat less. I guess they just know they are safe here and are just used to tourists.

Puerto Villamil Town walk

After the trip out on the Tintoreras, we decided to go into town for a look around and dinner. The picture below shows the Tintoreras to the right, the anchorage is between Tintoreras and Concha de Perla . As you can see the beach runs across the whole seaside of the town, past the Pozas Salinas. There is a cycle path to the Mirador de las Lagrimas which is heavy going in the sand track behind the beach and then much better condition through the park. More in the next blog about these areas.

The Beach

We arrived in town as the sun was setting and realised how beautiful the beaches really were, but too late for a swim. The Marine Iguanas seemed to feel they had as much right to the lookout tower as did people.

The Town Bars & Hotels

We managed to find a bar on the beach with happy hour and a reasonable menu. At 2 cocktails for the price of one some sampling ensued, unfortunately (or as some would say, fortunately) Coco Locos were unavailable due to a lack of ingredients. This is a beach town, with sand everywhere, and many beach bars along the edge of the sand. These are interspersed with the odd small hotel. There is a bit of a Caribbean beach vibe going on with some Reggae and older classics being played in the bars.

Obviously building materials are a little scarce or expensive (or both) as local trees and branches appear everywhere in buildings and fences with much of the bar furniture being recycled pallets and packing crates. Pallets are also a useful replacement deck on your ute when the original has rusted away.

The main road appeared to have no town planning as many of the buildings were spread out. Further back off the main road, there were many unfinished buildings, some just started, others half built and others just not finished giving the town a very scrappy look. We were told that the government says the island population is not growing, but the locals all say it is and the amount of construction would seem to confirm that. There were many people here from Ecuador who had come to get jobs and want to stay. A dollar or two in the right places enables many things – it is South America after all.

The Next Day

We had to stop at the bike shop and organise bikes for the next day. The owners of Galapagos Bike & Surf, Junior and Emilie, were a lovely couple and had a great collection of bicycles and surfboards and seemed to have a great business. https://galapagosbikeandsurf.com/site/

Next Blog is Day 2: Volcano tour, Bike Ride & Wall of Tears