The Galapagos Today

The Galapagos Today

Galapagos is - An archipelago, the first to be declared world heritage by UNESCO in 1978; just over twenty islands (counting the tiny ones, that see them seem little more than a rock); known throughout the world for their beauty and for the studies of Charles Darwin that sailing in these parts in 1835, he drew the confirmations that took him then to develop the theory of 'evolution.

Darwin in the Galapagos

In fact the passage of Darwin to the Galapagos was rather hasty when you consider that in the islands - which seems to connect the hearing common throughout its history and all its discoveries - the researcher spent only five weeks; nothing compared to the whole journey lasted more than five years. Diaries and his commander Fitzroy was made a map dell'itineraio the Beagle.

All (or almost) the islands of the Galapagos

Of all the twenty-plus islands, the most animated and busy in the tourist sense is Santa Cruz that hinges on the town of Puerto Ayora (15,000 inhabitants); channel Itabaca divides north from Baltra, the island namesake airport that connects the Galapagos to mainland cities (Quito and Guayaquil, an hour and a half flight). Seymour and Mosquera are almost one with Baltra, the north are separated by a short stretch of sea. At 300 meters from the coast east coast of Santa Cruz there are islands Plazas (Sur and Norte); much more distant, 10 miles south-east (17 kilometers), is instead Santa Fe (Barrington), which on the north side a beautiful bay with turquoise waters, sheltered and quiet; snorkeling paradise.

On the opposite side of Santa Cruz, in the west, the inaccessible and also nominated for this little Pinzon (or Duncan), a sort of island-laboratory devoted to the reproduction of giant tortoises and therefore unapproachable.

North of Santa Cruz, Santiago, a large island whose fame is eclipsed, however, by the tiny sliver that is less than 300 meters: Bartolomé, the most spectacular of all, at least from the point of view geologico- landscape. Rabida and Chinese Hat (Sombrero Chino) are two more pieces broke away south of Santiago.

Another great town - second only to Puerto Ayora, is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (8000 inhabitants) capital San Cristobal, where there is another airport in the archipelago (also from here you arrive and we depart for the continent).

The largest island in the Galapagos is Isabela, Puerto Villamil who in the third - as a populous - the towns of the islands of the park; near Punta Vicente Roca passes the equator. The oldest Floreana, the greenest, and is also one of the most visited (a passage in the Floreana is always) although it requires about three hours by boat from Puerto Ayora, making decisive route to the south.

Said so far the central islands (central than Santa Cruz), which focuses largely dell'andirivieni tourism, remain to be named the most defilate obviously less busy. West of Isabela, less than five kilometers from its shores, there is the secluded Fernandina, a volcanic island in April 2009 has begun to show signs of vitality. And 'literally it is hidden from the tourist trail more frequent' embrace of the great area of ​​Isabela that seems involuntarily keep aloof, west. Fernandina is in practice achieved only by cruise tour.

At the southern edge of the eastern quadrant geographic Galapagos is the collection Espanola, which is also the prerogative of only cruise passengers while, practically on the other side of that ideal quadrilateral, emerge smaller islands, the only ones to be in full in north of the equator: Darwin (a dot of 1000 meters in diameter), Island Wolf, and the triptych (20, 21, 22) Pinta, Marchena and Genovesa, they too a little 'lost north.
Some end essential to understand the offers of tour operators

Cruise: you are greeted at the airport and immediately transferred to the boat where you will spend much of the time. The treatment is necessarily full board, we sleep in the cabin, and the class of the yacht determines the quality of service: from tourist to luxury. Small boats and nimble manage to creep in where the big ships can not reach. On the one hand the reachability of some bodies of water, secondly comfort. Of course: the big ship you can always get anywhere with a small dinghy, but a ship at anchor in the harbor, with the rough sea and 100 guests to bring down to earth has never seen.

Island hopping: arrived on an island that can be defined to start, you will spend one, two or more nights in a hotel, then moved to another island for a few more days and then to another. He always sleeps on land and by day, by boat or on foot, you visit all the island has to offer, in itself or in the immediate vicinity. It must be said that only a few of the islands lend the Island hopping; Excl for obvious reasons those uninhabited, offering a minimum of receptivity are only Santa Cruz (Puerto Ayora), Isabela (Puerto Villamil), Floreana (Puerto Velasco Ibarra) and San Cristobal (Puerto Baquerizo Moreno). Since they are the only ones with an airport that connects to the mainland, the island hopping in the Galapagos can begin or end only in San Cristobal and Santa Cruz.

Panga ride: come with the boat "great" or creek near the island to visit, guests are transferred - in groups of a dozen people max - on a dinghy smaller (the panga, in fact) so where you can run around the boat bulkier it could not get or find a landing place (usually a beach or a small pier) where it landed.

Dinghy ride: a boat is moving along the coast with caution following as close as possible to the profile of the mainland. It 'a less laborious the panga ride, practiced where the preferred route is not too rugged and the bottom is sufficiently deep and seaworthy boats also relatively large and heavy.

Dry landing: it lands directly down to the ground from the boat, without even putting a foot in the water, usually due to a pier or a beach easily accessible by panga.

Wet landing: it arrives with some minimal discomfort connected with the need to get wet - as much or as little - of the way right up to the knees and over. Rarely a wet landing requires a stretch to swim and then the bathroom (in such case, the tour operator puts always in evidence in the drafting of the program).

Snorkeling: supplied directly on board, mashera, snorkel and (sometimes) fins and jacket with lifesaving immerse you into the show that very often offers his best ideas in water. There are no particular dangers ... but never alone, always with the guides, who are diligently listen. The rocks and currents represent a potential danger much of sharks and moray eels.

Visit the Galapagos cruises, island hopping and daily tours

There is - fortunately - an ideal only way to visit the islands. On the issue vs cruise hotel or lodge on land (land-based tours) There are various schools of thought. Some even supports the option Mixed (a little 'and a little'). What about cruises? Overnight on board a boat implies all served (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and then - to equal treatment - costs an average of more than one night in a lodge. But that's not the point: in short cruises (three or four nights) it is likely that the islands affected by the program are basically those same islands visited on the island hopping or with daily tours. Not enough to be on a cruise to be masters of their time: there is no way to stop a few more hours in a particular place, even this was considered by all participants in the earthly paradise.

The yachts have a route and a timetable to be respected scrupulously as authorized and supervised by the Park Authority. Cruises, the night is often exploited to move from one island to another: the inevitable rolling and pitching of the boat can disturb sleep. Living with other tourists is always compulsory and the results are uncertain: discrete, exuberant, extremely pleasant, chatter, boring, snooty, intrusive; traveling companions are like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get. One can defend closing in his cabin, but not something that will help the good mood.

Extracted from a program type, here is one of those days "exclusive", the prerogative of only the tour on a cruise, which are valid (or at least, require) an all-inclusive package.

Wednesday morning: Gardner Bay. Española Island (also called Hood) is the southernmost of the islands and abundance of animal life. And 'here that they live and multiply thousands and thousands of waved albatross. The bay is characterized by blue waters and a lovely white sandy beach colonized by a large number of sea lions. And 'the ideal place for snorkeling or even for simple relaxation on the beach. Hilights: sea lions, white tip sharks, pelicans, finches Darwin (Darwin finches), mocking birds and small wading birds. In the afternoon: Suarez Point: (head west end of Española) one of the most popular spots of the entire archipelago. In a pleasant walk of about 3 kilometers you can spot blue-footed boobies and albatross then coming to the famous "blowhole" where the ocean waters seem impetuous rise from fissures in the rocks with a powerful shot into the sky. The scenery is superb. Hilights: Hood mocking bird, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies (blue footed boobies), marine iguanas, albatrosses (April to December), sea lions, hawks and finches of the Galapagos.

On the other hand, always drawn from the same program (cruise tour), here is one of those days that can be organized by those who prefer a vacation more "terrestrial" sleeping at night in the lodge.

Friday morning: Santa Cruz, visit to the Charles Darwin Research Station allows you to approach the giant tortoises and understand the purpose of their breeding in captivity. This center also lives the last of tartaturga giant peculiar island of Pinta: Lonesome George is that in the absence of a companion of the same species is inevitably the last stop of his lineage. After visiting the Darwin Centre there will be the opportunity for a leisurely stroll dedicated to shopping in the streets of Puerto Ayora. Friday afternoon: South Plaza: crossed an expanse of cactus (Opuntia Cacti) is virtually certain to be able to see a large group of sea lions, land iguanas and many species of birds. From the cliffs on the south side, reached by an easy walk, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the ocean.

The ethical factor

Last but not least there is a :, ethical factor: the company, the owners of the yacht owners allowed to market cruises, leaving Ecuador in only a fraction of their income. Depletion of a Heritage of 'Humanity require perhaps some exemption to the harsh laws of supply and demand. On the other hand, the 'Ecuador is a country dolarizado (since 2000, the official currency is the US dollar - not so implicit assumption of an American protectorate on business). Sleep in the lodge, dine in restaurants, buy a daily trip on site leaves perhaps in the pockets of poor people a few dollars more than the options "luxury", all inclusive and all prepaid.

Spanish, beautiful and (almost) impossible This derives from the examples above, but should emphasize: some islands (and some spots of the islands itself "easy" to achieve) can only be visited on a cruise. One example: although relatively close to the large and busy San Cristobal, Espanola can not be achieved - given the constraints of authority - if not authorized by some yacht. No daily tours will take you there and attention, not all cruises are licensed to sbarcarvici. Of course on the island there is any form of tourist accommodation.
Sailing?

What about the Galapagos on a sailboat? Very impressive the idea; tell it to friends will be a great little extra satisfaction but the Galapagos winds are up rather weak and the sails of the luxurious catamarans are mostly demonstration. They are used rarely and only in order not to disappoint the expectations of all the guests on board. The reality is that almost always traveling motor. As for the programs, the considerations above.

Day at sea, on land in the evening: the hilights of Floreana, Isabela, Santa Fe Plaza, Seymour, Bartolomé

What about the other ways to turn the islands? Santa Cruz, along with giving itself much food landscape, it's also the best strategic base for the 'island hopping understood as the "jump" from island to island, staying still on dry land in the few towns can offer accommodation , even if spartan: Isabela, San Cristobal and Floreana, in addition to Santa Cruz, obviously. Puerto Ayora is a good hub also for the daily tours departing early in the morning and return in the late afternoon, before dark. The peculiarity of Santa Cruz is in the logistics of its capital: Puerto Ayora you get it faster - by land - to channel Itabaca where sea opens the range north of the possibilities: Bartolomé, Santiago, Chinese Hat (Sombrero Chino) , North Seymour and Rabida. On the other hand, directly from the pier in Puerto Ayora boats leave times to reach the islands of the south range: Isabela, Floreana, Santa Fe and San Cristobal. The prices of these tours range from 50 to $ 150 per person based on the distances and the quality of the hull and the facilities on board. Here are the main hilights of different destinations:

Day Tour @ Isabela, what to see: the lake of pink flamingos, the breeding center of the turtles, white tip reef sharks in the reef in front of Villamil, Galapagos penguins and sea lions

Day Tour @ Floreana, what to do and what to see: in the highlands of the hinterland the 'Asylum of Peace (a giant tortoise breeding center not far from a fresh water source that has launched the first human settlement of the island ). Along the coast: the loberia (sea lions in the eye), the post-office, snorkeling in the Devil's Crown, a small semi-submerged crater about 400 meters from the foothills north of the island, with a thousand fish, turtles and white tip sharks. Also on the northern side: the Cormorant Point (sandy beach and lagoon with pink flamingos).

Day Tour @ Santa Fe, what to see and do: ride around the island, snorkeling, kayaking. Possibly - in the afternoon, on the way ritornno - El Garrapatero Beach (even here there is a chance to see some now rare flamingo).

Day Tour @ Bartolome, what to do and what to see: moonscape, craters and volcanic rocks (almost absent vegetation) and a missed uphill walk up to the viewpoint that it has become an emblem of the same geological variety of 'archipelago. By contrast, in one of the two beaches it is allowed snorkeling or simply swim in the sea, along with sea lions and penguins, small sharks and rays (it takes a little 'luck).

Day Tour @ North Seymour and Bachas Beach, what to do and what to see: frigates, blue-footed boobies (blue footed boobies), land and marine iguanas

Day Tour @ South Plaza, what to do and what to see: cactus, land iguanas, blue-footed and masked boobies boobies along the path that climbs the slope of the small island, heading south down to the cliffs from which you can locate in the water below , rays and sea lions; the latter in large quantities. In some places you can go down to the sea for a few minutes of snorkeling; all is to avoid the beaches where the dominant males (bulls) reject vigorously any intrusion into their territory. Just listen to the advice of the guide.

Book tours, the rules imposed by 'Park Authority

To book tours, preferably with good ADVANCE, just contact one of several agencies that advertise; in Puerto Ayora there are many. Detailed programs usually list, timetable and logistics of the proposed tour. The price can be negotiated to some extent, but we must take into account that access to the various islands are actually adjusted with the dropper from the Park Authority and that it can happen that, it reached the maximum milker landings scheduled for a certain day in a particular island, there is no choice but to change the date or change destination. Out of the limited access, there are additional departures; and not a matter of price. No matter how much more you would be willing to spend.

Sorry, we are full is a final judgment and almost always applies to all agencies that are intended to be questioned, since all are owned by a few carriers, the owners of the boats themselves licensees of the authorizations of the 'Park Authority. If a vessel has a license to carry 16 people plus a guide and three crew members, a certain day, at a certain destination, you're sure not welcome exception.

The tour to Seymour, Bartolome and Plaza; some examples
Returning to the detailed plans, here are some hints: copied, summarized and translated those distributed by agencies in Puerto Ayora (and also taken up by many websites that, albeit virtually, a fist fight on the web to divide the Galapagos Business ...

North Seymour includes the departure from Puerto Ayora at 7:30 by land (about 32 kilometers) by bus up to the channel Itabaca where you board more or less at 9:00. The arrival in North Seymour is scheduled for 10:30. Once you landed, a path of about 2 kilometers you can bring frigates and blue-footed boobies. 12:30 about you go back on board for the lunch-box and then get back into sailing to Bachas (a beautiful beach north of Santa Cruz) and then return to the channel Itabaca where you count to land at 15:30. Of them in Puerto Ayora it is traced in reverse the same way in the morning. Arrival in Puerto Ayora around 17:30. Las Bachas - usually return to North Seymour - is one of the places of choice for the laying and hatching of sea turtles that are used to populate the Black Turtle Cove, a nearby creek. In the waters of the pond behind the beach, it is not uncommon to see flamingos and herons. A brief history: the American troops stationed in Baltra during the Second World War spent on this very beach the few leisure hours granted to them.

South Plaza (dry landing: get off the island directly from the boat without getting wet feet) and subsequently Punta Carrion (only snorkeling directly into the water from a boat): the departure from Puerto Ayora is scheduled for 7: 45 and after about 16 miles you arrive by boat to South Plaza, where it is likely that some representative of the large colony of sea lions has kindly taken the pier. During the dry season (June to November) plants Sesuvium deep red color of the landscape making it one of the most unusual and beautiful of all the archipelago. After circumnavato the Gordon Rocks, where we arrive at Punta Carrion with snorkeling is the opportunity to meet some great: sea lions, white tip reef sharks (harmless) and races. The voyage, in a few minutes you get to the channel Itabaca by land from where it regains the way to Puerto Ayora. Arrival expected around 17:00.

Further away but still reachable in the day from Santa Cruz is Bartolome; scenically the most spectacular of the islands, once they arrive by land to channel Itabaca (about thirty km from Puerto Ayora), Bartolome is located about two and half hours of navigation (20 miles) north-west by route . In the morning, dry landing and climb to the viewpoint. Being of volcanic rock, the scenery is arid, characterized by cones and craters dark or reddish scattered everywhere, even semi-submerged. In Bartolome, the photographic subject par excellence is the famous pinnacle that is a short drive from the beautiful sandy beach, facing north, where it is possible - in the afternoon, after a short break on board - snorkeling and sunbathing. If you are lucky you can have fun with a family of penguins, pirouetting with them in the water. Agile and playful, they mention willingly to chase and be chasing proving fast and unreachable. In the island there is another beach, facing south, almost symmetrical to the first, but it is off-limits; It held elections and was forbidden to reach on foot.

What to do and see in Santa Cruz, without going to sea

Said - or at least mentioned - of the different options that offer tours in Galapagos by boat, only in Santa Cruz, with the only movement by land, you can reach the impressive beach of Tortuga Bay (a beautiful path of two kilometers and a half, strictly pedestrian) , the collection of beach Garrapatero, the research center Charles Darwin Station, the lava tube, the two craters Los Gemelos baptized, Mount Crocker Highlands and often shrouded in a pall of humidity made of clouds practically resting on the lush green vegetation heights of Santa Cruz.