The Galapogos Islands...quite a unique place!

After leaving Quito we flew to San Cristobal on the Galapagos Islands for a week's cruise around the Central and East Islands.

Our first glimpse of the islands...

The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean 906 km west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part. They are a national park and a protected marine reserve so the natural species are in no danger from unwanted predators.

Our boat, the Xavier III had a crew of 6 and the capacity for 16 passengers.

We had a small cabin with twin beds and our own bathroom and we spent a lot of time relaxing on the deck.

The chef was exceptional and everyday we were treated to great food mostly with Ecuadoran flavours and desserts twice a day!

We quickly fell into a routine of hiking, snorkelling or swimming,relaxing and sailing every day.

Here are some views of our hikes...

Sometimes we hiked on isolated sandy beaches...

Other days rocky tidal pools...

Very dry landscapes with Galapogos "granite",rocks that are worn white and shiny by the sea lions over hundreds of years.

Most days we also snorkelled to see some of the amazing life just beneath the ocean.Here we are in our dinghy getting ready to snorkel near Kicker Rock,It was quite choppy before we got in the water but not so when we were in.

Lots of giant tortoises and fish...

Some sharks...

And lots of sea lions who swam around quite playfully...

Charles Darwin, a British scientist, spent a lot of time in the Galapagos Islands where he observed many creatures here and made some interesting observations on the theory of evolution. We had an opportunity to visit the research station and see some of the work they are doing in trying to keep the giant tortoises alive and well.

Their program captures baby turtles from different islands, raises them to four years old and then returns them to the wild. These are soon ready to be released. Here are some photos of the older ones we saw as we toured the different islands...

They often live to be 100 years old and are massive in size.

It was mating season while we were there so we actually were lucky enough to catch the action. Here two males are fighting over the lone female....

You can see their size compared to our group watching them from a safe distance...

They rear their heads and hiss at each other and apparently the one with the longest neck wins, as Don says obviously size matters!

Then the mating begins...

Galapogos is also known for its land and sea iguanas which look different depending on which island they live that may have more or less vegetation, warmer or cooler water, more or less shade.

Here are some shots of the sea iguanas which are quite scary looking...

They spend most of their time lying on the warm sand or the lava rocks to maintain the heat in their bodies so they were lying around everywhere by the sea.


The land iguanas are more colourful...

And I love this picture of the iguana hiding behind the post...

In fact the guide said they are very shy animals so they often don't come out in the open when there are people around.

The islands are also known for the abundance of birds that were everywhere and not afraid of people so I was able to get some good shots considering I am not a wildlife photographer.

The first shots are of the blue footed boobie which is quite a famous local bird...

Sitting on the nest with live chicks under her.

On the rocks...

Here is the Galapagos Hawk which is at the top of the food chain here...

A few more that I don't know their names but they were beautiful...

 This male bird grows their red chest during mating season.

One of my favourite creatures were the crabs that looked quite brilliant against the black rocks...

Though I think the favourite of most people were the sea lions who again were abundant in many locations we visited.

Napping....

Waiting for a snack...

Being curious, he got a lot closer than this as we waited...

They had their own beaches but welcomed us along.

So many beautiful memories of this week...

Quiet bays...

Amazing sunsets...

Floating through reflective waters in the mangroves...

Seeing spotted rays and tortoises swimming by...

And the list goes on with not enough time to share all the wonders of this place.

A great way to end our trip through Ecuador, and a must visit for those who love the feeling of just discovering someplace very special. Ecuador has won our hearts and we hopefully will return before too long!