8-day Galapagos Islands cruise
August 27, 2019
After spending a day in Quito visiting the old town and people watching whilst drinking a lovely coffee, we were collected at our hotel to go to Quito airport to catch our flight to the Galápagos Islands.
We arrived on San Cristóbal island where we transferred to our yacht, which was to be our home for our 8-day Galápagos Island cruise.
We were warmly welcomed by the nine staff on the yacht and although it accommodated sixteen people we found ourselves sharing the yacht with one other couple only.
After settling into our lovely cabin and eating a delicious lunch, our first activity was a visit to a turtle breeding center. We then had some time to visit the town and take pictures, some of which you will find in the gallery.
Day 2
During our first night while we were sleeping, the boat made the 6 hours journey from San Cristóbal to Floreana island. We woke up to see sea turtles swimming in the ocean and sea lions still sleeping on the beach. As Lorri was suffering from sea sickness, B joined the other couple for a ride along the coast to sight flamingos and Red Balloon Frigates and to visit Post Office Bay where seamen were leaving their post for others to deliver. As a tradition, we left our own postcards, but did not find any card we could deliver by hand.
After lunch back on the boat, Lorri felt much better and we went to Cromorant Point for a walk along the breeding grounds of the Blue Foot Boobies and a protected lagoon where a few flamingos were still feeding prior to migrating to a more fertile ground on another island. After a walk around the lagoon, we reached a beach where we watched a group of Galápagos sharks stalking Manta Rays and in crystal clear water.
Day 3
Overnight as we slept soundly, the boat took another 5 hours voyage to Española Island. Our first outing of the day was to Suarez Point where we were greeted by a horde of enormous marine iguanas warming themselves out on the rocks, clambering on top of each other to absorb each other body heat.
A few steps further, we saw new born sea lion cubs lying closely to their mother drinking their milk while the alpha male sea lion honked at us from the shallow waters to ensure their protection. We continued our walk up from the ocean to the cliffs, followed by the Galápagos hawk before reaching the local Blue Foot Booby “airport”. It was really amazing to see such a large number of boobies and their young chicks. Moving further along the cliffs, we also saw the Galapagos Albatross nesting with their chicks.
From the cliffs we looked down into a blow hole and watched great waves hit the volcanic rock sending spray up into the air and landing all over us. We then watched the lazy sea iguanas eventually make their way to the water for their daily swim.
In the afternoon, the boat traveled to Gardner Bay where we could snorkel with sea lions. We ended the day with a walk along a deserted white sandy beach, shared only with a few lazy sea lions and some very nosy hummingbirds. After dinner, the boat left Española to travel to Santa Cruz Island, where we would be able to see the famous giant Galápagos turtles.
Day 4
In the morning, we left the boat for a ride to the Twin Craters, which unfortunately were completely covered by the mist. Nevertheless, as we arrived at the crater, we were astonished by the appearance of an owl in the parking lot. I had just swapped my camera lens to take pictures of the landscape, but the owl patiently waited for me to replace the lens and I was able to take a stunning and rare picture, which you will find in the gallery.
In the afternoon, a couple left the tour and we were joined by a new group of five Americans, two Italians and four Portuguese tourists for the rest of the cruise. After lunch, we all left the boat to visit the Darwin Station and to watch the saddleback turtles, which are held in captivity in the breeding centre. The guide informed us of a particular male saddleback turtle who had fathered 800 baby turtles, contributing to the repopulation of the island. At the end of the visit, we had some time to walk about town on our own. We decided to take it easy and have a drink in one of the town’s many bars. We then joined our new cruise companions on the boat for dinner. During the night, our yacht left Santa Cruz to reach Genovesa Island before sunrise.
Day 5
After breakfast, the dingy transported us from the yacht to El Barranco on Genovesa island. Our walk took us through an amazing landscape where Nasca Boobies, Red Foot Boobies and Red Balloon Frigates were nesting. There were many boobies’ chicks sitting in their nest among the tree waiting for their parents to bring them food from the ocean. Sadly we noticed one chick that had died due to starvation. It appears that, for unknown reasons, her parents did not manage to fly back to the island to feed it. We also sighed an owl sitting amongst the rocks and a Galapagos hawk hunting iguanas.
After lunch we went snorkelling along the cliffs and discovered many species of fish in a the warmer waters surrounding this island. I managed to take Lorraine on a two seater kayak for a sightseeing trip along the cliffs. However, she was a very nervous passenger and could only concentrate on surviving her maiden voyage without sinking into the ocean. I still managed to take a couple of pictures despite her screaming and swearing!
Later, the whole group enjoyed another walk around a beach where Red Footed Boobies, Red Balloon Frigates and Sea Gulls were nesting.
Day 6
Last night the yacht travelled to Rabida at high speed, reaching the island at 2:30am. We woke up to the site of a few misty islands, but the mist soon lifted to reveal a fantastic landscape of red sand and lava cliffs surrounded by crystal clear aquamarine water. The panga transported us to a popular nesting area of the Blue Footed Boobies. We were delighted to find many of these beautiful birds sitting on the rocks waiting for us to take their picture. There were also pelicans, lava birds and sea lions all living harmoniously together. We then proceeded to a wet landing onto the red beach and took a walk along the lagoon to find three beautiful flamingos feeding on their favourite prawns. The guide took us along a track to a view point on top of the cliffs where we were able to appreciate the views. We were greeted by a hawk flapping above us before disappearing into the wild. Some of us spend some time snorkelling along the cliffs while others enjoyed a beach walk.
Before lunch, the boat traveled to Sombrero Chino, where we were able to walk on the lava to observe sea lions, Galápagos crabs and marine iguanas. On the way back on the panga, we passed a few Galapagos penguins, who were posing for us, patiently waiting for their picture to be taken. The boat left Sombrero Chino for a shorter ride to Santa Cruz, where we had dinner. Later that evening, we sighted sharks hunting small fish around the boat. This was a very lucky end of our day.
Day 7
In the morning, we woke up close to Santa Cruz Island, near Witch Hill. After breakfast, we enjoyed a panga ride along the majestic cliffs formations and were able to enter several caves in the lava, one of which is known as the Cathedral. We were then dropped by the panga on a beautiful white sandy beach to enjoy a walk along the shore and sight sea lions and ocean wildlife through the crystal clear water. This part of the island is stunning and it was a wonderful way to spend the rest of the morning. B went for a swim whilst Lorri watched the swimmers and snorkelers playing with the sea lions in the water.
In the afternoon, the whole group was transported to Lobos Island to watch some more wildlife. We were able to see Red Balloon Frigates and their chicks, Blue Footed Boobies with new born chicks and sea lions with their pups. This was another wonderful stroll in this fabulous nature reserve and a fantastic close to our visit to the Galápagos islands.
Before having our last delicious dinner on board the Grand Majestic yacht, we all shared a goodbye drink with the crew and had the opportunity to thank them for the wonderful experience.
Day 8
It was time to say goodbye to the other passengers and swapped contact details with our lovely American family, who we hope will keep in touch. We visited the interpretation centre before our flight to Quito, where we will soon catch our flight home.
