General

San Cristobal is the eastern most island in the Galapagos, the fifth largest, home to the oldest permanent settlement of the islands, and is the island where Darwin first went ashore in 1835. Its official Spanish name comes from the patron saint of sailors Saint Christopher.

In 1858 Manuel Cobos and Jóse Monroy, formed a company to harvest the moss orchilla which was used for dye. Cobos went on to form a centre producing leather form feral cattle, processing fish and tortoise oil, then later went on to form agricultural centre, and finally starting sugar cane factory. When a penal colony was built for prisoners from mainland Ecuador he took it over and treated convicts as slaves to use on his plantations. He was finally assassinated by his workers in 1904.

It is 730m high and 558kms and the capital is at Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. It has the largest freshwater lake, El Junco(see below), in the Galapagos and we took a trip up to look at it.

Sealions

Sea Lions are everywhere, on the rocks, on the beaches, on the piers, the stairs and the boats. They stay overnight on our rear platforms, in the warm water coming out of the fridge cooling system, and swim with us when we are swimming – blowing bubbles, summer salting around us and doing rolls.

Sealions jump right up over the stern sterns of fishing boats into the cockpits and jump in and out of dinghys if you leave them in the water. They are all over the docks and stairways and beaches here that there is park liaison person on the dock keeping an eye on them and the visitors. They are just so social and friendly. Here are a few photos of our funny friends. We will miss them.

We knew that we had to keep the sea lions of the boarding platforms and not in the yacht. As has been mentioned in Santa Cruz we were told they were unlikely to come aboard and for the first two nights we had them up on the seats in the cockpit, cleverly we now had a fender barrier to keep them on the boarding platforms. Some of the big ones could make a real mess, but most times it was not too bad. When the big ones get aboard you can feel the boat move and sometimes there is a very noisy discussion between them about who should be there.

Sealions on the yacht

Every morning first thing you would be greeted by at least one friendly sea lion, sometimes two or three per side. First you want to do is have a swim, then clean the boarding platforms. Sometimes you had to use the hose to get them off.

Sea Lions on other boats

They can leap over a meter onto a boat so they climb in and out of any boats they can reach , this includes leaping onto the back of fishing boats or any RIBs that someone is careless enough to leave at the dock.

Sea Lions on the Town Pier

The Sealions climb up onto the pier via the pontoons for the taxi boats. They also love the stairs and arranged themselves one per stair all the way up some days. They don’t mind climbing over their mates to get a spare tread to themselves. All the seats on the pier are fair game.

Sealions on the beaches and rocks

There is fencing on the wall around the town on all the beaches and the rocks that separates the beach from the walkway so they cannot climb up. On the walkway at the western end of town they sit happily in the shade with the beach users – keeping a lookout under the lifeguard tower with the lifeguards as well. The only general rule around town is to try and stay 2m away from them, but at times this is difficult as they are all over the paths. They would also often come and find you to play in the shallows and it was amusing to see them lie on their backs and sleep in the sun with their heads underwater.

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno 

The town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the Capital of the Galapagos and looks more up market than touristy Santa Cruz. There was tno rubbish laying around and everything was very clean and tidy. The this attention to detail in the many different styles of paving, with the overall cleanliness gave the town a lovely feeling. There was also a huge variety of architecture. Given the variety of construction materials and styles we are sure the building regulations here are either don’t exist or are just ignored.

There are many sculptures around town celebrating the wildlife especially the great frigate bird, the Blue Boobies, Tortorises, Iguanas, Crayfish and more.

Current Interpretation Centre

The visitor interpretation cente was built in 1998 and gives a very good summary of the natural history of the islands and some simple pictures to explain the issues. Some of the interesting points are : 97% of the land is national park, the remaining 3% is designated to population areas. By 2023 the Galapagos Marine Reserve covered 142,759 sqkm, while the Hermanded Reserve will protect another 60,000 sqkm. There are 13 large islands and more than 200 islets and rocks. There are four large currents and a fifth small current which flow past the Galapagos archipelago. All of the endemic flora and fauna originated from central and South America but with human habitation came many introduced species.

Information Sections

The centre deals with the flora and fauna, geology, the history and economic situation in the islands.

The main economic activity is ecotourism and having a port and an airport near the town with daily flights from the mainland has caused conservation challenges including the introduction of the black fly which sucks blood form humans and animals leaving a poison that has caused the death of animals . It has also a lot of guayaba berry and blackberry. Trying to manage the sustainability of the fishing industry has also caused issues.

Due to the intensive use of the highlands of San Cristóbal and the presence of goats and aggressive introduced plants species, many native and endemic plant species have been decimated. Through the use of helicopters and land hunters in the last three years, they have eliminated approximately 3,500 goats on San Cristóbal, with an estimated 3,000 still remaining in the northern half of the island. Some of these hunters were form New Zealand. Their complete elimination is critical for the endangered plant species. New populations of the beautiful Critically Endangered Galápagos Rock Purslane, Calandrinia galapagosa (probably San Cristóbal’s rarest plant), and the Endangered  Lecocarpus darwinii were discovered. Many were under pressure from goats. The population of Calandrinia was fenced in 2003, as were other small populations of the same species in 1992-93. More Calandrinia were found on the north coast in June 2002. 

Vegetation Zones

The vegetation zones on the island are very evident and dictate where various birds and animals are found. These zones and the interaction between them is critical to the ecology of the islands. The early settlers neglected the importance of native vegetation. On The high islands like Santa Cruz, San Cristobal and Isabela the vegetation changes from semi dessert to verdant forest depending on the height above sea level. On the low lying islands the arid zone covers the whole island

The vegetation zone changes ont eh Galapagos are very obviousl as you go from sea level up into the hills / volcanoes which we discovered when we took a cycle trip to the lake at the top of the island to el Junco. We were fascinated by the ecology that produced a plant that can collect the mist and coalesce the droplets that will then fall and support the plants underneath. Mangroves we also see in New Zealand but we slo tend to ignore their benefit. Again our tree ferns are similar to those in the Galapagos and provide the same benefits by storing water that can them be used by other plants around them during dry periods.

There are nominally seven vegetation zones. These seven are:

• The Littoral (or Coastal) Zone which extends from the edge of the ocean to around fifty to one hundred miles inland and is populated by plants adapted to salty conditions e.g. .four species of mangrove. Mangroves limit erosion caused by waves and storms, and provide a habitat and nesting places for many bird species, and safe nurseries for young fish, molluscs, shrimps and other species that are crucial links in the Galapagos food chain.
• The Arid Zone is the largest vegetation zone in the archipelago, extending to 300 feet on the wetter, southern sides of the islands, and as high as 1,600 feet on the drier, northern sides. Some of the smaller and lower islands are located entirely within this zone. Three types of endemic cacti dominate the landscape here; lava, candelabra, and prickly pear, the staple diet of land iguanas and giant tortoises.
• The Transition Zone lies between the arid lowlands and the cooler, moister highlands. This zone has the greatest plant diversity among the seven vegetation zones. Small trees and shrubs, including the endemic pega pega and the native hardwood matazarno.
• The Scalesia Zone “the rain forest of the Galapagos.” lies from about 650 to 1,300 feet on the larger islands. It is cooler, moister and more lush than the zones below it. Some of the Scalesia trees found here can grow to over sixty feet tall and are covered in ferns, mosses and orchids. The endemic genus Scalesia, is comprised of fifteen different species of trees found nowhere else on earth. They have been called “the Darwin’s finches of the plant world” because of their remarkable pattern of adaptive radiation. Unfortunately, humans along with introduced pigs, goats and plants have decimated these once great forests.
• The Zanthoxylum (or Brown) Zone is named after the predominant plant, the Zanthoxylum fagara, or “cat’s claw.” It is also called the “brown zone” because the brown lichens that cling to the trees give them a brownish hue. This zone has mostly been destroyed by agriculture, unfortunately.
• Miconia Zone zone starts around 3,200 feet on the islands of Santa Cruz and San Cristóbal. The Miconia shrub, which once carpeted the region, but is now one of the most endangered plants in the archipelago due cattle grazing and the impact of invasive plants. The Miconia robinsoniana can grow to sixteen feet and has purple and pink flowers.
• Finally the Pampa or Fern-Sedge Zone starts above 3,200 feet and consists of ferns, grasses, mosses, lichens and orchids around temporary pools of water and disappear and reappear seasonally based on rainfall. The endemic Galapagos fern tree is the only tree found here is the endemic and can grow to nine feet tall with a trunk that up to to eleven inches in diameter.

We saw the Scalesia on the way up to El Junco and around the lake we could see the plants from the Miconia and the Fern-Sedge Zones. The tall Galapagos islands get a lot of mist due to the cold currents that come past the islands so often in the mornings it is foggy, clearing during the day and then reappearing in the evening. It is these mists or “Gurúa” as the locals say, which provide the water. You will also see that many of our photos have this misty weather appearing over the hills.

New Interpretation Centre

A new interpretation centre is being built with beautiful mosaics at the front entrance. The mosaics are at a much more advanced stage than the building.

From the centre there is a trail leading up to Frigatebird hill which has a colony of magnificent and great frigate birds.

Walk and Cycle El Junco

We all decided that we needed some exercise and wanted to to up to see the lake at the crater, so we hired bicycles from the Canon Bike shop, got two cabs (Utes) up the hill with the bikes on the back and then left them at the start of the trail and went off for a hike. It was early in the morning so the mist covered the hill and initally the lake.

Laguna El Junco has a surface area of 6 ha with a volume around 35 million liters of water. The lake itself sits in a caldera (collapsed cone) of an extinct volcano and is about 300 m wide. It is generally accepted that the lake has been in existence since the end of the last northern ice age. The name El Junco is Spanish for sedge, which is present along the banks of the lake

The lake is in the Miconia Zone, named for the Miconia shrub, which once carpeted the region, but is now one of the most endangered plants in the archipelago due cattle grazing and the impact of invasive plants. The Miconia robinsoniana can grow to sixteen feet and has purple and pink flowers.

Birds

Naturally we cant go anywhere without mentioning the birds. Whenever you stop you can find them. These are the ones we found on this trek.

From the lookout we watched Frigate birds fly out of the mist to land on the lake. These birds generally do not land on water as they have no oil in their feathers and will get waterlogged. These ones however seemed to enjoy the fresh water as part of their preening, briefly landing to wash themselves.

An epic 17km cycle back down the hill saw us split up with Graeme and Craig leading the charge down the hill.. Barb and Hew followed at more leisurely pace and Geordie, as usual, went exploring in the opposite direction. A couple of short uphill sections near the top turned into one long downhill glide with the steepest section being next to a cemetery. We didn’t stop to investigate the graves for over enthusiastic cyclists.

Lunch

Graeme and Craig found a lovely restaurant. just off the main beach. Geordie went off to look at the back streets and Hew and I wandered through town. We later found Graeme and Craig and looking at the menu and after an excellent lunch decided we would come here the following morning for breakfast. Just for a change.

Cove Walk

Hew and I began our walk near the fisherman’s wharf which has the large crayfish seen earlier, and then goes along past the interpretation centre and a docking area where the barges bring in the freight off the visiting supply ships. The ships actually anchor further around in the lee of Frigate Hill. They have a pretty slick system worked out with empty trucks loaded on to the barge which go out to the ship where containers are loaded directly on to them. These return to shore to unload with another pair of empty trucks waiting to repeat the process. Later in the day we were to see the local vehicles driving round town with fresh supplies.

The walk takes you up past a naval sight with an old gun platform, then along to another lookout into the cove below the Frigate Bird Hill, then past Darwins statue. After this point you can either continue up the hill to see the top lookout and frigate bird colonies or go down into the cove for a swim.

Bahia Baquerizo Moreno Muelle

Of course with the heat we chose the swimming option. I had my Gopro with me so could take some photos underwater. At first I got in without it but when I saw the tortoises and fish I had to go back and get it. Meanwhile Hew sat on the large platforms with the families, kids and Sea Lions and waited. There were three platforms and one was dedicated to the Sealions. The clarity in the water was unexpectedly good, as was the fish life. Surprisingly, there was a stone scorpion fish in about 2ft of water very near the platform and a very friendly Turtle.

Short Video of the snorkelling https://youtu.be/V8Ko8C1J0sg

Diving

Kicker Rock or León Dormido, named for its characteristic shape of a sleeping lion. Kicker Rock is the most dramatic of the sites, with its vertical tuff cone, rising almost 150 m straight up out of the ocean. Tuff cones are created when boiling lava encounters a very cold ocean, resulting in an explosion. Erosion has split the rock into two parts, forming a narrow channel that small vessels can pass through. It is a well known diving and snorkelling spot and quite sheltered behind the rock. Unfortunately as with the other sites the visibility was poor.

Unfortunately our high expectations of some great diving in the Galapagos with an earlier than usual arrival of the cold currents. Water temperatures have dropped from 24-25 down to 20 and some of the warmer water animals have moved on. In addition the colder water laden with nutrients and microscopic life had reduced visibility.

There will be a separate blog describing Diving in the Galapagos TBA

Next Blog: Floreana https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2024/06/floreana-a-fascinating-friendly-gem/

A Little History

Floreana is named in honour of the first president of Ecuador but was known by the English as Charles Island. Whalers and other early visitors to the Galapagos visited regularly as was one of the few islands with a fresh water source. Whalers also kept a wooden barrel in Post Office Bay so that letters could be left there and picked up by passing ships heading home to Europe or United States. A replica of the barrel remains and it is still possible to post a letter (without a stamp) and visitors sift through the letters and still deliver to various parts of the world.

Amongst other disasters the island was set on fire in 1820 by a crewman off a whaling ship. The fire reportedly burned almost all the vegetation and no doubt killed much of the wildlife. In 1835 Darwin visited on the Beagle but by then most of the landscape had been altered by the fire.

Early Settlers

Floreana is famous in its history with three mysterious disappearances in the 1930s. There are several history books about the island but they all have a different versions of events. All stories involve a German baroness and her two lovers and who came to the island in the 1930’s to establish an upmarket hotel for rich tourists. A little ahead of her time all that eventuated was a tin roofed shack. They upset the other locals by taking the water supply and she and her lovers mysteriously disappeared. Ritter, an earlier settler, was an obvious suspect for the disappearances as he was regarded as bit weird but ultimately he disappeared as well and shortly after his partner departed the island.

More information on the area they lived in is under the Tour section Larva Gullies and Pirates Cave – Asilo de la Paz

Arrival and the landscape

Floreana is one of the oldest islands in the Galapagos and is the southernmost island. There are over 50 scoria cones onshore and 6 tuff cones offshore making the he landscape looks like the Auckland region in New Zealand. The oldest flows are on the northern end of the island, while the youngest (26,000 years) are on the southern end. Cerro Pajas is the tallest (640m) inactive volcano on the island, and is the origin of the largest lava flow (272,000 yrs).

The rugged coastline is mostly larva interspersed with a few sand beaches.

Puerto Velazco Ibarra

The main port is Perto Velazco Ibarra which is also the site of the only town.

Unexpected Dinner Invitation

We arrived late in the day and immediately got an invitation to a spit-roasted pig at the local bar and a mother’s day party at the school. As it was getting dark we quickly changed clothes, grabbed some drinks, made a salad, and called the water taxi with little knowledge of where we were headed. After a quick look at google maps while on the yacht we knew that after landing we had to just go right to get to the bar. Not easy in the dark with no streetlights. We missed the local track and went slightly further inland, nthen we found a local to give us directions and found the Black Beach House and bar. https://www.booking.com/hotel/ec/black-beach-house.es.html

The invitation had originated from the yacht Emma whose owners were Italian and they had 5 on board. They had been anchored next to us in Santa Cruz. They had obtained the piglet while on a tour of the island and when it arrived they decided they had too much food so should invite others. . The bar was happy for them to use the facilities as long as we purchased a few drinks. The boys drank beer and I had one of their Mojitos with local mint and local limes, the best I have had in months. We had a beautiful dinner of roast pork with Geordie helping to cook and carve the meat.

After the dinner we needed to get back to the yacht because the water taxi man had told us that he was going to the party that night and would not be available after 9pm. We had his number but were wondering how to get hold of him.

Mothers Day Party

As we walked past the Mothers Day party – we saw our barman (and future guide) – Rony who spoke excellent English and asked him how to find the taxi man. He pointed him out in the line of men getting their dinner and we arranged 930. So we sat on the men’s side of the party and watched for half an hour.

The community has about one dinner per month. This one was Mother’s Day so the fathers cooked and the mothers sat at the tables in the centre of the area. On Father’s Day, the mothers cook and the men are seated in the centre. Every person on the island was there for the party. It was great to see. Noticeably there were few teenagers present as most are all away at school or university, and those in their 20s-30s who had mostly gone to other islands for work.

Visitors

The next morning we awoke to find more friends onboard, one on the front and two on the back boards. A Larva Heron had decided that the code 0 sheets were a good place to stay, Two seals had also climbed on board one on each side but both were very wary and immediately jumped off when approached.

After breakfast and swimming, we headed into town for a local tour. To great us on the pier were the local Pelicans.

Marine Iguanas

Also right on the landing area around the pier are several marine iguanas. These turn bright red during the mating season then slowly lose their colour until they are black during the breeding season. At the time we were there the red was still apparent but fading. These were the largest marine iguanas we had seen and completely ignored us. We had only seen the red colouring here – in San Cristobal they all seemed uniformly black.

Floreana Tour

Present Day

Our guide Rony was a great guide and a great source of general information about the island as it presently functions. https://www.facebook.com/p/Floreana-Island_Gala%CC%81pagos-100064159900047/?locale=es_LA The top of the island is 400 m. and there are only about 150 people with 2 cars and two buses to get around. Everyone else uses motor bikes. The cars are shared by the community and to use them you need to book them in advance. There is no daily ferry so the locals travel on the cruise boats that come down nearly daily from Santa Cruz and San Cristobal. A supply ship calls twice a month with supplies and fuel from Ecuador.

There are six restaurants and seven homestay/ hotels all run by families plus are two stores, one doctor, one dentist and one assistant. One fisherman supplies all the restaurants and families. They grow almost all the food they need on the island. There are several farms and two cooperatives one pig farm and another producing eggs. The cooperatives are trying to supply the local cruise ships as a way of expanding the economy. 10% of the power is solar and the rest is diesel. There is a small desalinator plant and one source of natural water on the island.

No one on the island caught Covid but when they opened up again there was a few that came in with Covid.

Giant Land Tortoises

Thousands of tortoises were taken by whalers on ships as food from the Galapagos. Apparently tortoise can live for months without food or water, so they were taken on board ships and stacked on top of each other in the holds as a “fresh” food supply. This “harvest” of tortoise coupled with the fire in 1820 led to them being extinct on Floreana.

Our guide Rony took us up to the highlands in one of the utes to where tortoise have been reintroduced. The original giant tortoises of Floreana are extinct but from phylogenic DNA analysis, nine descendants of Floreana tortoises have been identified in the captive population of the Fausto Llerena breeding center in Santa Cruz. These animals have come from Wolf island and it is thought that whalers must have released some of the Floreana tortoise there.

This has allowed the possibility of re-establishing the species through selective breeding based on these hybrid animals. The hybrid animals are genetically 80% Floreana and the other 20% is from tortoises of other islands. Currently, 19 have been introduced and are now 12 years old. Tortoises can be reintroduced after 6 years old when they are large enough that the rats will no longer attack them. They are in the current enclosure until later this year when they will be set free to roam around the island. They are the only tortoise breeding place that feeds tortoises.

As part of this program to reintroduce native animals back to the island there is and extensive rat trapping and feral cat elimination program on the island. Rat bait stations are everywhere and the hope is that many of the cats will die from eating “poisoned ” rats. We imagine efforts to get rid of the cats will need to get a little more direct.

Larva Gullies and Pirates Cave – Asilo de la Paz

As the only island with a permanent water supply from a spring, the island was a likely place for settlement. The spring is located in the highlands and was where the first permanent settlers lived. It still flows today and is a significant part of the island water supply.The earliest whalers and pirates visiting the islands sourced water from this spring.

A permanent population did not arrive on the island until the late 1920’s. In 1929 Friedrich Ritter and Dore Staruch arrived from Germany and letters home encouraged others to follow

The Wittmer family arrived in 1932 from Germany with one son and another was born in the cave in which they first lived, the first person known to have been born in the Galapagos. Descendants still live on Floreana and the other islands and the Wittmer name is associated with various enterprises on the islands.

Later in 1932 Baroness von Wagner Bosquet arrived with her 2 lovers and upset visions of utopia.

Initially they lived in caves and gullies nearby the spring. The rock is quite soft and you can still see the remnants of the early dwellings. Later dwellings were built nearby as the settlement grew.

The farm remains today but we did not get to visit it, just look down from above. The area is very lush and grows all sorts of fruit and vegetables.

Birds

All the photos below were taken around the water source for the farm and island. The little pale yellow warblers loved the mud below the spring. The photos of the finches and dark yellow warler were on the tracks close by.

The Farm

We visited a local cooperative farm growing a range of crops including oranges, pineapples, cassava, bananas and plantain. Our guide on the farm was Max Friere, our agent for the island and the former community leader, a position now held by his wife. The first thing he did when we arrived was offer us some of his oranges to drink. They were perfect.

As an attempt to expand the island economy two cooperative ventures have been established with objective of supplying food to visitors on the many local cruise ships operating on the Galapagos. Historically all the food for these operations has been imported from Ecuador.

This farm has established a piggery with a boar and a number of sows raising piglets and initoal results have been encouraging. This island differs from the others with its small population and an apparent willingness to work together.

We departed the farm with a generous gift of food including oranges, bananas and cassava

Restaurant

Our tour of the island included lunch at a restaurant which unsurprisingly was run by Max’s wife and her daughter. Restaurants only seem to open if they have bookings and tend to share their opening times amongst each other so only one operates at a time. The construction of the restaurant was fascinating with all sorts of timber used, some polished and carved and some plain. The also run a hotel both are called Lecocarpus named after the native Floreana Daisy.

A three course meal ensued with including cassava chips and a delicious desert of cheese cake and tiramisu. Far more andm far better than we were expecting.

The whole island is very tidy with no rubbish anywhere. Just over the road form the restaurant you can see the recycling bins.

Loberia Beach

The next part of the tour was off to Loberia beach for a swim and a snorkel. As all tours require a guide on the island, this part of the journey was delegated to Max’s grandfather. A short bus ride through the village and a very slow walk later we arrived at a cute beach for a swim.

The water temperature was brisk so swims were short and after slowly walking back with granddad who had gone to sleep in the shade. We finally arrived at the jetty and main street. Here we posted our past cards in the replica post barrell and will await to see if they get to their destination in New Zealand. We had missed taking a photo so this photo is care of Jan Viajera.

Time to return to the yacht and another lovely sunset.

Departure from Floreana Down the Coast

The Galapagos Officials only permit you to go to four islands in the yacht and only to the four designated anchorages. Large cruise boats that anchor in other areas all have to have a national park guide on board. We did consider enquiring about a yacht guide but in the end there was so much to do that we did not investigate that option.

Anyway on departure from Floreana we decided to hug the coast as far as we could go and see what it was like. The morning had no wind so we motored slowly on our way. IT was so peaceful in the missty cloudy and calm weather. We did not see any other baots until just before we had to head out to sea. We travelled past all types of volcanic formations and came across schools of fish, dolphins, and more inshore seabirds. It became a challenge on the boat to find a blue footed Booby as we had not seen one yet and wouldn’t really get close to one until we got to Isla Isabela. Finally we did see a couple in the distance and the identification was confirmed by photograph.

Dolphins

This pod of about 20 dolphins, including mothers and babies, spent about 15 minutes fishing around the boat They were quite close to shore and seemed happily cruising and fishing. Two of the dolphins most inshore were engaged in some tail slapping, though the others seemed to be ignoring them. The water was very calm and it was delightful just to move along slowly and peacefully with the pod.

Birds

One of the reasons to cruise close to the close was to look at the shore birds and we were rewarded by seeing both blue footed boobies and the Great Blue Heron, along with Nazcar boobies, brown peicans and

Volcanic Coast

The coast had some fascinating geological formations from the lava , but also it was interesting that the vegetation grew straight to spray line, and all the bird rookeries could be seen marked with guano. There appeared to be no large rookeries but lots of small ones in every sheltered and stable(hard rock) crack and crevice.

As we got further up the coast I got a message on WhatsApp asking if we were going to Santa Cruz? Obviously someone had seen us in shore and asked the question. At that stage we thought we better head out to see in the direction we were supposed to be heading.

Back to Santa Cruz.

Day 2 Volcanoes: Sierra Negra

The next day we decided to go on the volcano tour. On the jetty at 0710 for a departure at 0730. We had organised bikes the night before with the Bike and Surf shop. The owners Junior and Emilie were very helpful and our agent had agreed to take the bikes up while we went on the tour bus.

We arrived at the top with no sign of the agent or the bikes. The guide was ready to depart and said they would be there when we got back. We set off from the entrance to the national park. The first animals we came across were cows. The local farms think it is good grazing so they just let them wander into the park. There are fines but they are never issued!

Background

Around 30 years ago the park removed around 100,000 feral goats donkeys and other beasties off the island. They used NZ hunters with helicopters, followed on the ground with dogs. Given the chequered history of these islands, most of the native vegetation has been destroyed by pests, fire, and eruptions. As you can imagine vegetation was mostly introduced and very scrappy. There are lots of guava trees interspersed with ladder and bracken ferns, the odd tree daisy, and a few natives. This was a disappointment as we were anticipating more native trees and birds.

The Sierra Negra volcano is 1138m asl, is 700,00 years old, and has had 13 eruptions, the last three being in 1979, 2005, and 2018. The tour takes 3 hours over 16km. Because I had hurt my foot and thought I would only do the first hour. We all thought the trek went around the volcano cone but halfway up we discovered that these days it only goes out past the first caldera, onto the second cone, and then back. When we discovered the caldera is 9km by 7km we realised it would have been more than 16km around!

A Foggy Start

The day started foggy on the South side, which is not unusual. It is called the “garúa” that hangs in the air and clings in droplets to the sides of volcanoes. By the time we had done 8km, it had still not cleared. We got to the end of the first volcano then it was downhill to the second larva field. I pulled out and turned back. The boys continued.

When I turned back and tried to take some more photos through the mist of the 110m deep main caldera. The sides are very steep and the caldera itself is 9 x 7.4km across.

At the end of the walk, I took my bike and rode down to the town. It was a very peaceful ride with no boys, no pressure, and few vehicles. The top section is steep and windy with farms on the sides that look well kept, and tidy. There are colourful hedges along the roadside.

The middle section of the ride is fairly flat through long larva fields. The only thing of real items to note about the roads were that they seem to drive faster than the other islands and maybe becasue of this there were wa large number of dead birds on the roads, from Mango finches to Larva herons. There was also far more rubbish on the roadsides in Isabela than the other islands we had been to. At the end of this 24km ride, I was glad to get off the bike and have lunch.

Villamil Beach and Sites

After lunch, I had still not heard from the boys so I decided to set off down the beach to look at the far end.

Flamingos

The first tourist site I came across was the flamingo viewing platform at the end of town on the edge of a saltwater pool in the mangroves. At first sight, they looked artificial. they were so pink and clean and all around them was a shallow muddy pond. The four I saw were all sleeping on one leg and occasionally one might move and do some preening – pick up a mouthful of water and spray it over its back and appear to clean.

The only other bird I saw on the pond was a Pintail.

I decided to continue along the beach to the national park at the far end. The beach has beautiful fine white sand and a huge surf. When you reach the national park boundary the ranger takes your name and then you can cycle on the well-formed track and look at the beaches, larva tunnel, mangroves, sulphur lake, and Wall of Tears.

Beachside Cycle Trail

Lava Tunnel

This lava tunnel is very long as it starts up in the bush with a hole( part of the collapsed roof) then continues into the sea. You can climb down into the tunnel and inside or walk along the top. It is fascinating in how round it is, – just like a pipe, but cracked along the top

Playa del Armour

A lovely small beach surrounded by a lava wall. Ideal for kids and the rocks are covered in marine iguanas. All sunning themselves and ignoring the photographers and visitors.

After I had had a swim I decided that I just wanted to get back to the yacht and have a rest. I had still not heard from the boys so I cycled back into town. Dropped the bike off, walked to the wharf and caught a water taxi back to the yacht. I had a lovely swim and laid down in the cool for a siesta. Just before I finally fell asleep I heard from Hew. They were in a bar on the beach having lunch. All feeling tired and in need of rehydration. The rest is their story.

The Wayward Wanderers

Once you go downhill you have to come up

From the top of the hill at about 100m we walked to the North side of the mountain and eventually out onto a fairly recent lava field. The most recent eruption was in 2018 which lasted about 2 months via 6 different fissure zones. Some of the larva flows merged and ended up in the waters of Elizabeth Bay on the north side. We thought of White Island but there was no such doubt with our guide. He assured us that eruptions only happened on the northern side of the island and the south where the town is will remain untouched. We remain, unbelievers, as the town was built on the edge of a lava field.

2018 Lava Flow ot the North

Once out of the treeline, the weather cleared and we had great views to the north where most of the area is out of bounds and home to land iguanas and other native species. Looking down the lava flows you could see the different eruption flows and small patches of surviving vegetation on ridges.

With views out to sea there was very little evidence of any wind to aid our sailing with departure planned for a few days ahead.

Return to the Top

After peering down various dormant fumaroles and fissures of the northern larva flow we returned to the top of the hill for lunch where we could now see down into the crater.

Possibly a fellow kiwi carried these to the top of the hill….

Downhill

The walk back to the car park the guide pointed out various animals along the way, including those that should not have been there like a feral cat, a rooster, cows etc.

When we got to the end of the track and mounted up our bicycles we were reminded that our knees and other joints no longer enjoy walking downhill as they once did. As we descend into the cloud you are reminded how much the vegetation and wildlife depend on the condensation collected from the clouds to sustain life as rainfall levels are very low. A sophisticated ecosystem with lichen and mosses hanging from the trees to collect water that then dripped onto the ground. This was very evident under the bigger native trees with a substantial canopy providing a noticeably damp area underneath.

The Cycle Down

The bicycle hire shop had repeatedly warned us about the steep descent and slippery roads and to be careful. The local scotch mist, Garua, had thickened since earlier and raincoats were the order of the day as it was noticeably damp and much cooler. Each of our bikes was named but Geordie felt he needed an extra hint about the side of the road he should be on here.

The road was damp with patches of cow and horse poo to keep us on our toes for the first 5-6km as we negotiated the steeper windy section. To add to the adventure horses and cattle appeared out of the mist from time to time, much less concerned than us

The trip down to the flats took as through an area of cultivated land with plantations of bananas, plantain and cassava being grown in rich red fertile volcanic soil. Completely different to the other side of the island.

Fencing and Larva Flats

An interesting feature of the Galapagos has been the local approach to fencing and fence posts. Most fence lines use fresh tree branches as posts which generally sprout and start to grow. This grow your own fence post seems very sustainable but does come at the cost of having to trim the “post”on a regular basis. Barbed wire remains the other component of the fence stapled to the tree posts. These would not win an award at the field day fencing competition but are very effective on land with scarce resources.

Once down on the flats the landscape reverted to lava fields with scrubby sparse vegetation and our glorious downhill cycle became a bit of a grind for the final few kilometers. Isabela has noticably more rubbish lying around than the other islands reinforcing our feeling the island population is more focused on the tourist dollar rather than conservation.

Rehydration

After a 17km walk and a 25km cycle a refreshment stop was necessary to rehydrate and contemplate the next step of our tryathalon. One option was to complete the swim leg out to the boat the consensus was we were a little tired for that. However after the restorative powers of discounted beers Craig suggested a quick ride out to the Wall of Tears, a short 6km ride away along the foreshore before and then an afternoon siesta back on the boat.

How foolish were we, riding bicycles in soft sand is very difficult and the Wall of Tears we learned from exeprience is 60m above sea level. 6 short kilometers turned into nearly an hour of pushing bicycles through sand and struggling up hills to get there. Graeme nearly collapsed and Hew was getting wobbly, Craig as the youngest claimed he was fine!!

Wall of tears

Between 1946 and 1959 Isabela was a penal colony with a reputation for the abuse of power and the death of many prisoners. The only remaining evidence is the “Wall of Tears” a wall built to keep the prisoners occupied but for no other reason. At around 60 metres long and 10 high in places it is a big structure.

It remains a monument to mans inhumanity to man.

Beer Burgers and Bed

The cycle back to a bar was much easier, cycling downhill always is. After returning the bikes we were buggered so the only things remaining were beer, burgers and bed. Geordie finally turned up, we had lost him earlier in the day, a fairly commmon occurence. He had been in search of Flamingos as he had never seen one, had he been with us in the bar we could have pointed a pair out as they flew past.

A long day was completed walking back to the pier and getting the locals there to find the water taxi man to take us home. The water taxis only operate on Isabela until 9pm and it was after 8.30pm.

Geordie & Birds

Geordie spent considerable time chasing the birds on the trip – mostly the feathered kind. His photos needed a section devoted just to these and the time he put into getting the right photo has resulted in some spectacular shots.

As you can see from the last photo he often got back late, especially on the last night when the bike shop was texting me trying to find him, and their bike and we knew he was getting close to missing the water taxi shut-off time. As luck would have it he had managed to get a lift with the navy returning to their supply ship anchored in the bay. He was lucky to get any dinner!

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