Galapagos Trip 2023--Overview

• Galapagos 2023.  We had such a good time on our UnCruise trip to Alaska last year we decided to go on another UnCruise Adventure.  UnCruise is based in Alaska but also does cruises in several Central American locations and the Hawaiian Islands.  For our adventure, we chose the Galapagos Islands. 

The Galapagos Islands are on this map in the Pacific Ocean near the intersection of the two lines, but obscured by our gps tracks.  The horizontal line is the equator.  The vertical line is 90 degrees west longitude. I am not sure why Ecuador is not labelled on this map, but it is on the coast between Columbia and Peru.  The vertical red line is the gps track of our flight from Miami to Guayaquil.  The black line next to it is the gps track for the return flight from Guayaquil to Miami.  I did not have the gps on between DFW and Miami or between Guayaquil and Galapagos.

 What did we do and when?    

• We flew to the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador via Miami, Florida, on Wednesday May 10.  
• On May 11 we met up with Paul and Gwen in the morning.  They had flown in via Panama City the day before.  We did some exploring of Guayaquil along the Guayas River near our hotel.  By afternoon Paul and Gwen's friend James had also arrived.
  
• We flew to Baltra Airport in the Galapagos on Friday, May 12, where we boarded the yacht La Pinta. 
• We spent the next seven days and six nights exploring multiple islands on what Metropolitan Touring, the actual owner/operator of the La PInta, calls the Western Galapagos Cruise (see map below).  
• We disembarked on Thursday, May 18 and flew back to Guayaquil.  
• Friday, May 19, we made the return trip home from Guayaquil via Miami.

Map of La Pinta's "Western Galapagos" Cruise (courtesy of Metropolitan Touring)

 

Initial thoughts upon return.  

• I can't believe it is over already.  We had looked forward to and planned for this trip almost since we left Alaska last August and certainly since we put down our deposit in November.  The ten days we were there went by in a flash.
  
• I did not take as many pictures as I thought I would or probably should have. We took essentially no pictures in Guayaquil due to the various security issues there.  The trails in  Galapagos were generally so rough and uneven that I spent a lot of time watching where I was walking instead of taking pictures.  I don't know why I didn't take more pictures on the ship.
• I am very glad we took this cruise through UnCruise rather than directly through Metropolitan Touring.  UnCruise handled all of the logistics of getting us to and from the airport in Guayaquil both on our arrival and departure and for the trip to and from Galapagos.  That was a huge relief, not only due to the language difference but also due to the ongoing violence and current night time curfew within the city of Guayaquil. Without the need to stand in line, they provided us with tickets/boarding passes to and from Galapagos from Guayaquil and all of the forms already filled out and fees already paid for entering the national park. 
  
• .We got to see most of the animals we had hoped to see...many even on the first day of the cruise!
• I had especially wanted to see blue footed boobies.  Not only did we see an endless number of boobies almost everywhere, but we saw two of them on the first day of the cruise doing their little booby mating dance together, kind of a Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers impersonation where they emphasized picking up their bright blue feet.

Blue-footed boobies on North Seymour Island doing their booby dance

 

• The Frog had wanted to see frigate birds, hopefully including a male with an inflated red gulac sac.  We saw lots of them both on nests and in the air in a nesting colony on North Seymour Island.

Male frigate bird with inflated gulac sac on North Seymour Island

• Altogether we saw at least 10 of the "Galapagos Big 15":  flightless cormorants, Galapagos hawk, blue footed booby, land iguana, marine iguana, Galapagos penguin, Galapagos sea lion, Galapagos fur seal (I think), American flamingo, frigate birds, and Galapagos giant tortoises.  That does not include the many other birds including Darwin finches, at least two and possibly three types of sharks, manta ray, sea turtles, lizards, many fish, multiple types of starfish, crabs, and many interesting plants.

• Although not totally unexpected, the weather was not ideal.  Of course it was incredibly humid and, being on the equator, the sun was very intense. Both of those were expected. We had picked May for the trip as a compromise.  We had hoped the temperatures would be beginning to cool as they transitioned out of the hot, rainy season, but the cold sea currents of the dry season would not yet be so strong that the seas would still be relatively calm.  We kind of missed on both counts, perhaps due to the global shift to an El Nino weather pattern. The temps were still pretty high and the seas were rougher than expected.  The Frog had a tough time with the ship bouncing around so much.  The crew even had to scratch some of the off ship activities one day due to the large waves.  At least it never rained on us and we did not get sunburned.

Over the next days or weeks I will try to get more detailed blogs posted for each day of our adventure. I will update this blog with links to each new blog post when they are ready.  Below is a map with our gps tracks for each day of the trip.  I will show more detailed close-up maps as appropriate for the individual adventures.  If you are reading this, I apologize for all of the text, but this blog is primarily for me so I can come back in the future and reminisce about what we did.

Combined gps tracks of our cruise.  See below for key to the colors.

The following is what Metropolitan Touring calls their Itinerary Table, showing activities for each day.

 

This is the description of each day on the La Pinta as provided by Metropolitan Touring with a key to the colors of the gps tracks.  The details of each day will be on the individual blog posts to follow.

• Day -2 and -1  
• Flying to Guayaquil and Guayaquil sightseeing near hotel (Click here for blog post)
  
• Day 1, May 12  (red track)
• Baltra Island  Our adventure begins with a morning flight to Baltra Island and immediate transfer to the dock to board Yacht La Pinta. There’s an introductory welcome briefing, boat drill, cabin assignment followed by lunch.  (Click here for blog post.)
  
• North Seymour Island  Following an afternoon disembarkation, we enjoy a walk along the coast and the interior of this beautiful flat island, observing numerous bird colonies as well as sea lions and land iguanas. There are opportunities for coastal exploration by dinghy. Evening briefing, welcome cocktail and dinner.   (Click here for the blog post.)
  
• Day 2, May 13 (green track)
• Punta Vicente Roca (Isabela Island)  Since there is no landing site at this location, the coastal exploration is by panga, while the naturalist guide explains the dramatic geology of the area, with remains of lava flows and tuff stone layers. There is abundant wildlife and, depending on the conditions of the ocean, we’ll be able to snorkel along the cliffs, hopefully in the company of green sea turtles. (Click here for blog post.)
  
• Punta Espinoza (Fernandina Island)  In the afternoon, we visit the youngest and most pristine island of the archipelago, Fernandina, one of many visitors’ all-time favourites. Punta Espinoza has an amazing combination of barrenness and abundant wildlife. Highlights include hawks, penguins, flightless cormorants and astounding views of the surrounding volcanic landscapes.  (Click here for blog post.)
  
• Day 3, May 14 (yellow track)
•  Urbina Bay (Isabela Island)  After breakfast, we disembark at Urbina Bay, on the western side of Isabela Island, the result of an uplifting of the ocean floor. Here you can see corals, shells, and large and very colorful Galapagos land iguanas, as well as (occasionally) giant tortoises. Navigating the Bolívar Channel, there are good chances of spotting several species of whales.  (Click here for blog post.)
  
• Tagus Cove (Isabela Island)  On the northwest of Isabela, secluded Tagus Cove provided a favourite anchorage for pirates and whalers over the centuries, and today makes a great visitor site. An uphill hike takes us to the back of Darwin Crater, filled with salt water. We can snorkel or ride kayaks amid the dramatic landscape before going on our hike.  (Click here for blog post.)
  
• Day 4, May 15 (blue track)
• Rabida Island  In the morning, we disembark at Rabida Island’s red-coloured beach. A stroll along the beach allows us to observe marine iguanas, mockingbirds, yellow warblers and several species of Darwin’s finches. This is a great place to snorkel from the beach. For non-snorkelers, we can ride our glass-bottom boat for an exploration of life underneath the waves. (Blog post, part 1)  (Blog posr, part 2)
  
• Cerro Dragon (Dragon Hill) (Santa Cruz Island)  The north shore of Santa Cruz hosts the fascinating landscapes of Cerro Dragon (Dragon Hill). Our walk includes circling a brackish water lagoon frequented by lagoon birds, while further inland, the trail offers a beautiful view of the bay and the western islands of the archipelago, as well as the chance to observe land iguanas.
• Day 5, May 16 (fuchsia track)
• Puerto Ayora & Charles Darwin Research Station  The morning visit heads to the Charles Darwin Research Station and the giant tortoise pens within an impressive giant prickly-pear cactus forest. These are the Galapagos' headquarters of scientific investigation, conservation and the National Park administration. A delicious lunch is served at the poolside of the Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel. (Blog post, part 1) (Blog post, part 2)
  
• Highlands of Santa Cruz Island After lunch we head up to the highlands of Santa Cruz Island by vehicle. This is a great place to look for the emblematic Darwin’s Finches and the endemic Scalesia trees. The highlands are also excellent for exploring the exuberant vegetation where giant tortoises roam in the wild.  This will surely be one of the most remembered visits of the whole voyage. (Blog post)
  
•  Day 6, May 17 ( aqua track)
• Post Office Bay After breakfast, we land at Post Office Bay to visit the historic barrel that has served as a post office in the archipelago for over two centuries. Panga rides along the maze of channels on Floreana’s north shore can also be enjoyed. Views from La Lobería and the Baroness Viewpoint are quite rewarding. There’s great kayaking and swimming from the beach as well. (Blog post, part 1) (Blog post, part 2)
  
• Champion Islet & Punta Cormorant (Floreana Island) Before disembarking at Punta Cormorant we can snorkel or ride our glass-bottom boat along the coast of an extinct cone called “Champion Islet”. Later in the afternoon, our visit to Punta Cormorant takes in an olivine-crystal beach for an easy walk by a brackish water lagoon where bird species like greater flamingos may be observed. On the other side of the island, we come to a white-sand beach where sea turtles come out at night to nest. (Blog post, part 3)
  
•  Day 7, May 18 (black track)
• Baltra Island  Our journey ends at Baltra Island, where we transfer to the airport to take the flight back to the mainland. Baltra’s flat substrate (due to its uplifted origin) is the reason why the island was chosen back in the 1940s as the location to building an airport (Blog post)
  

If you would like to skip all the intervening posts and go to the end, which includes a photo slideshow, go here:  Galapagos Trip 2023 -- The Last Post.

Well, that is about it for now. I don't want to do too much posting until I receive additional promised pictures.  It will likely be several weeks before I receive pictures from Metropolitan Touring and at least that long before I receive a promised video from one of our ship mates of one of the most memorable moments of the trip--the attack of the Frog by an angry Galapagos mockingbird.  Yes, really!   It landed on his hat and aggressively pecked at the top of his hat.  Stay tuned.

 

An upset mockingbird attacking the Frog