Galapagos – First Day And A Half

Go back to Ecuador.
Go back to Quilotoa Lake.

Mosquera Island.

From there, we drove back to Quito via one more dinner stop with Felipe. We spent quite a bit of time together during that week and, while what little climbing we did was kind of fun, we really enjoyed our time with him, especially chatting about possible future projects. Back to the same Quito airport hotel that evening for our early morning flight to Baltra Airport in the Galapagos Islands. We were on our catamaran boat (Archipell) in time for lunch. This would be our home for three nights. That afternoon, we, along with a dozen of our fellow passengers, made our first stop on a little sandbar called Mosquera Island (between Baltra and North Seymour Islands); tons of sealions, crabs, and even a few marine iguanas.

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Genovesa Island.

Overnight, our little catamaran sailed about a 100km northeast and we woke up in the bay of Genovesa Island in the far northeast corner of the archipelago. Here we did some snorkeling (choppy and with not much to see really) but the real highlight was a short hike on the island itself (accessed via Prince Philip’s Steps). There we saw tons of birds especially bobbies of various flavors as well as a couple of indigenous owls. A little beach time on the island later in the afternoon and another overnight sail to the Santiago and Bartolome Islands. That was a pretty choppy trip and so we were eating Dramamine like tic-tacs.

Photos

Galapagos-bound (July 2021).

Baltra Airport in Galapagos (July 2021).

Welcome to the Galapagos (July 2021).

That brick of heroin in the black duffel is strictly for personal use to ward off sea sickness (July 2021).

In the airport parking lot (July 2021).

A closer look (July 2021).

There she is – our home for the next three nights (July 2021).

Very comfortable actually – even for a big fucker like me (July 2021).

Shared area on the boat (July 2021).

The zodiacs (July 2021).

Getting ready to head ashore (July 2021).

Mosquera Island and a couple of frolicking sea lions (July 2021).

Flour coated sea lions (July 2021).

Mosquera Island – just a small sandbar really (July 2021).

Shirley fending off a pushy sea lion. She’s used to it with all the tweaker bums in Portland (except this guys is not worthless; July 2021).

Lava heron at an all-you-can-eat buffet (July 2021).

Another one of the heron and his food (July 2021).

Suckling (July 2021).

Smiling (July 2021).

One more of the lava heron (July 2021).

Vibrantly colored Sally Lightfoot crabs (July 2021).

Marine iguanas (July 2021).

A closer look (July 2021).

Back home (July 2021).

Shirley and some of our fellow passengers chilling on the top deck (July 2021).

A Galapagos sunset (July 2021).

Heading for Prince Philip Steps on Genovesa Island in the morning (July 2021).

Landing on Genovesa Island (July 2021).

A nazca booby on Genovesa (July 2021).

Nazca booby (July 2021).

A red-footed booby (July 2021).

A pair of nazca boobies (July 2021).

A booby of some kind (red footed?; July 2021).

A red footed booby sitting in a tree (July 2021).

A nazca booby out for a stroll (July 2021).

Fabian, our guide, and a nazca booby (July 2021).

A marine iguana on Genovesa (July 2021).

A frigatebird chick (July 2021).

An adult frigatebird (July 2021).

Shirley, our group, and swarms of birds on Genovesa Island. Place has that edge of the world feel (July 2021).

A red footed booby (July 2021).

Galapagos short-eared owl on Genovesa (July 2021).

Marine iguanas (July 2021).

A close-up (July 2021).

An even tighter portrait (July 2021).

Frigatebird and her chick (July 2021).

Back to eating. Great Darwin Bay of Genovesa (July 2021).

Shirley trying to enjoy the snorkeling in Darwin Bay of Genovesa Island despite some very choppy conditions (July 2021).

Our fellow passengers doing a bit of kayaking (July 2021).

Back on Genovesa; this time a beach landing (July 2021).

A poser on Genovesa (July 2021).

Marine iguanas and our ride (left) as seen from the beach (July 2021).

Marine iguanas (July 2021).

That itch that just needs to be addressed immediately (July 2021).

Cuddles (July 2021).

Genovesa Island (July 2021).

Look at those ears!

A small lagoon on Genovesa (July 2021).

Two pups in the shallows (July 2021).

All smiles (July 2021).

Check out the little nails (July 2021).

Frigatebird chick on Genovesa (July 2021).

Frigatebird and her chick on Genovesa (July 2021).

Another booby (July 2021).

Up close and personal with a frigatebird (July 2021).

Red footed booby (July 2021).

A booby and her chick (July 2021).

Red footed booby (July 2021).

Another booby and her chick (July 2021).

Nazca booby portrait with some parasites in the feathers (July 2021).

A nazca pestered by some flies (July 2021).

A booby (July 2021).

Getting ready to shuttle it back to the catamaran (July 2021).

Go to Galapagos – Second Day And A Half.
Go back to Ecuador.