Boobies Dive Bombing for Their Dinner

Ask any visitor to the Galapagos Islands what they loved about their trip and they are bound to tell you all about our fabulous Blue Footed Boobies. I mention them in many of my posts because we see them on every Island. Typically when I write about those funny, clown-like and fascinating inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands, I talk about their mating habits and their adorable and irresistible little chicks. Any one lucky enough to experience their mating dance will have a memory to last a lifetime. I show this ritual in my Espanola Post.

I'm often asked why these birds have blue feet. It's a particularly intriguing question because almost every Galapagos animal or bird species blends into the stark volcanic environment with its pallet a range of brown, beige, sepia, and black, interspersed with green scruffy plant life. How then did they end up with bright blue feet - and electrifying color in contrast to the earthy tones? The answer goes right back to the mating ritual. The males strut around displaying their feet to the females who, in turn, are attracted to that azure color. The bluer the better and more magnetic. The Boobies' feet serve the same purpose as the coloration of so many male birds, like cardinals or frigatebirds.

Rabida Island

Approaching Rabida from Boat by Mark Putney

Don’t let its small size mislead you. Though just over 1.9 miles in total area with a maximum altitude of only 1200 feet, Rabida Island is filled with wonders that will captivate you. A veritable rainbow of color, texture, and light, this island hosts abundant flora and fauna, much of it endemic to the island. I don't get to Rabida as often as I get to many of the other Islands, but when I do it is a feast for my eyes, an opportunity for photographers to "go crazy" and a rare and much-loved treat for me.

Rabida is located in the center of the Galapagos Islands. It’s a marvelous area for snorkeling as the water teems with fish, marine iguanas and our beloved sea lions. It also offers a special and unique landscape, including the opportunity to walk on a rocky red sand beach.

Galapagos Sea Lions - They Are Definitely Not Seals!

Sea Lion Basking on a Bench in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno

Ask any visitor to tell you the highlight of their visit to the Galapagos Islands, and you're as likely as not to hear "The sea lions!" It's true - everyone loves the sea lions. They greet you on every island. They are unafraid. They are entertaining. They are cute. They are noisy. They show up in the most expected - and unexpected - places. They sit on our park benches, taking over. They climb into our boats and pangas if we let them. They lay about the ocean front property - after all, they were here first; they actually do own the beach! They swim and cavort in the water. They don't mind having their picture taken - and are more than willing to pose. So, everyone gets bragging rights to having taken wonderful photos of the sea lions.

Sea Lion Pup

But, there's a lot to learn about them too. For example, Galapagos sea lions are ubiquitous in the Galapagos Islands. They are endemic and exclusive to the archipelago (except for one location on Ecuador's mainland coastline) and can be seen and heard on every island; the total population is about 50,000 sea lions. They are quite large as sea lions go and range in size from mature males of about 1000 pounds to mature females of about 700 pounds. Pups weigh about 13 pounds at birth.

Swimming with Sea Lions

As a guide and naturalist certified by the Galapagos National Park Service and the owner of the Galapagos Eco Lodge on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos Islands, one of my great pleasures is taking my hotel guests, cruise ship passengers, tourists and visitors snorkeling with the sea lions. The pleasure I get each time I do this is immeasurable to me and I am sure to my guests as well. As a ubiquitous and playful creature of the Galapagos Islands, the sea lions are sure to bring a smile and joy to everyone who encounters them and has the once-in-a lifetime opportunity to frolic in their natural habitat, the luxurious and pristine Pacific Ocean in which the Galapagos Islands are situated.

While every chance to swim with sea lions makes my heart feel good, there is one day I remember particularly well and with great fondness. And that is the day I share with you in this post. Before I do though, take a look at this glorious video taken that day by AquaSurround:

Though every day in the Galapagos Islands is very special, this was a day I was really looking forward to as I was taking my group to swim with the sea lions near Bartolome Island.

Another Reason to Come to San Cristobal – Our Marvelous Coffee

Until now, it’s been at closely kept secret – or, at least I thought it was a secret. San Cristobal Island grows some of the best coffee beans anywhere in the world. Whether you’re waking up and ready for that first burst of flavor for the day or you’ve had a satisfying meal and want something special with your dessert, our coffee is the answer.

And you can visit San Cristobal's historic coffee plantation to see the old growth trees and taste the coffee yourself. This is a very special adventure and shows the diversity of the Galapagos Islands.

As I said, I thought it was a secret. Now, I have discovered that Starbucks – the ubiquitous world wide coffee shop – has discovered this treasure too. In 2010 and again in 2012, it offered San Cristobal special blend coffee beans in limited qualities – all of which are gone now.

Isabela Island Visitor Sites Part III - Hiking the Volcanoes

Introduction to Isabela Island

Map of Isabela from JunglePhotos.com
Which reproduced it with permission from Instituto Geografico Militar del Ecuador

Landscape on Isabela Hiking Up Volcan Sierra Negra
Photograph from CreativeCommons by Michael R. Perry

If you read Parts I and II of my Isabela posts, you know that Isla Isabela:

• is the largest island in the Galapagos comprising a full 60% of the total land mass in the Galapagos National Park and Reserve. 
• is the product of not one, but six integrated separate still-active volcanoes. 
• has a magnificent and diverse landscape and sites and attractions inland and around the entire Island.

In this post  I will take you on a huge adventure: You will experience the diverse landscape, the enormous beauty and the majesty of the Galapagos Island, Isla Isabela, its creatures and their natural habitat by hiking the stunning volcanoes from which the island was created. Have fun on the journey - but be prepared, not all of this walking will be easy.

Isabela Island Visitor Sites Part II - Sites Visited by Boat

Geography of Isabela Island                                                                      

Map of Isabela from JunglePhotos.com
Map reproduced with permission from Instituto Geografico Militar del Ecuador

If you read Part I of my Isabela post about visitor sites on Isla Isabela, you know:

Blue Footed Boobies Mating Dance

• is the largest island in the Galapagos
• comprises a full 60% of the total land mass in the Galapagos National Park and Reserve. 
• is the product of not one, but six integrated separate still-active volcanoes. 
• has a magnificent and diverse landscape with many individually interesting tour sites and attractions. 

If your cruise takes you to the western side of Ecuador's Galapagos Islands, your ship will take you to marvelous inlets, coves, beaches and pools all around Isabela Island. This post will bring you yet another new point of view and opportunity for learning and experiencing, not from the land, as my last post, but from the beautiful, stunning and ever changing Pacific Ocean.

Isabela Island Visitor Sites Part I - Sites from Puerto Villamil

Basic Geography and Overview of Isabela Island

Map of Isabela from JunglePhotos.com
Map reproduced with permission from Instituto Geografico Militar del Ecuador

Landscape/Moonscape on Isabela Hiking Up Volcan Sierra Negra
Photograph from CreativeCommons by Michael R. Perry

Isla Isabela, located in the western Galapagos Islands, is one of the newest geological land masses in the archipelago. If you have experienced the eastern islands, heavily eroded over the millennia by wind and waves, you may find the baked lava terrain surrounding the volcanoes on Isabela in stark contrast. It is rugged and challenging. It displays different colors; different minerals catch the light; it is mountainous and stark; it is intriguing at every turn.

Isabela is also unique because it grew not from one volcanic eruption, but by the integration of six separate underwater volcanoes. It is the largest land mass in the island system, accounting for 60% of the total land area. Moreover, due to its size and the fact that it arose from the sea as a result of multiple different natural occurrences and eruptions, its landscape is varied and it has many individually interesting tour sites and attractions.

This is the first of three posts I will write about Isabela Island. Here, I focus on the remarkable visitor sites accessible from the main town of Puerto Villamil. Get ready - you are about to experience everything from blue footed boobies to steps carved into a volcanic hillside, from flamingos to a bustling town. Indeed, each visitor to Isabela will experience this enchanted ground from a difference perspective, and, like the Galapagos Islands themselves, Isabela has something to offer everyone.

Galapagos Island Geography and Geology - Part Three - Ocean Currents

San Cristobal Island

This is the final of a three-part series of articles in which I discuss the geology of the Galapagos Islands. In Part One I talked about the tectonic plates that lie beneath the sea and under the land and explained that without the constant movement of the tectonic plates, their crashing into one another, forcing the hot magma to break through the Earth's surface (called the lithosphere), there would be no Galapagos Islands at all. Part Two focused on the actual formation of the islands from volcanic action that occurs when those tectonic plates collide. Each and every one of the Galapagos Islands, their topography, the sheer cliffs that you see and that have become the nesting sites for bird and animal life found no where else on earth, the beautiful outcroppings, marine life, SCUBA sites, black sand beaches, crystalline beaches - all resulted from volcanic activity. Here, in Part Three, I will talk about the Pacific Ocean currents, particularly how the hot and cold currents impact and define the plant, animal, bird and marine life throughout the Galapagos Islands.

Galapagos Island Geography and Geology - Part Two - Galapagos Volcanoes

Map Showing Galapagos Islands' Volcanoes
from ecuador.us

Shield Volcano, Rugged Lava Rock, Lava Cactus
Photograph taken by Aqua Surround

This is the second of three posts about the geography and geology of the Galapagos Islands. In Part One I talked about the tectonic plates that lie beneath the sea and under the land and explained that without the constant movement of the tectonic plates, their crashing into one another, forcing the hot magma to break through the lithosphere, there would be no Galapagos Islands at all. Here, in Part Two, I discuss the actual formation of the islands from volcanic action that occurs when tectonic plates collide. Each and every one of the Galapagos Islands, their topography, the sheer cliffs that you see and that have become the nesting sites for bird and animal life found no where else on earth, the beautiful outcroppings, marine life, SCUBA sites, black sand beaches, crystalline beaches - all result from volcanic activity. This post should leave you with a clearer understanding of the earth beneath your feet as you stand and examine and feel your environment in the Galapagos Islands. Finally, in Part Three, I will talk about the Pacific Ocean currents, particularly how the hot and cold currents impact and define the plant, animal, bird and marine life throughout the Galapagos.

Galapagos Island Geography and Geology – Part One – The Tectonic Plates and Hot Spots Created the Volcanic Islands

The Galapagos Islands
The Newest Islands are the Most Westerly
The Oldest Islands are the Most Easterly

This is the first of three posts about the geography and geology of the Galapagos Islands. Each post will take you on a short journey with the explicit intention of providing basic background information about the natural evolution of the Galapagos Islands. These remote islands, unlike anything else on our planet, have a dramatic and ever-changing morphography.

This article - Part One - focuses on the tectonic plates that lie beneath the sea and under the land. For, without the constant movement of the tectonic plates, their crashing into one another, forcing the hot magma to break through the lithosphere, there would be no Galapagos Islands at all. Part Two will discuss the actual formation of the islands from volcanic action that occurs when tectonic plates collide. Each and every one of the Galapagos Islands, their topography, the sheer cliffs that you see and that have become the nesting sites for birds and animal life found no where else on earth, the beautiful outcroppings, SCUBA sites, black sand beaches, crystalline beaches - all is the result of volcanic activity. Finally, in Part Three, I will talk about the Pacific Ocean currents, particularly how the hot and cold currents impact and define the plant, animal, bird and marine life throughout the Galapagos.

Penquins on the Equator

One of the most fascinating marine creatures on the archipelago is the Galapagos Penguin. Aren’t penguins those cold-weather tuxedoed outdoorsmen who shield each other from the cold by forming tight groupings so only those on the outside of the circle are hit by the violent elements in Antarctica? Aren’t they the animals that get trapped below the ice?  Don't they waver on the edges of ice flows waiting for the moment to jump into the frigid water to search for food? Yes, some penguins are – but not all.

Our islands are blessed to be the indigenous home of the Galapagos Penguin.  This is the only species of penguin that lives above the Equator. They are able to do so because of the cool water temperatures that result from the Cromwell Currents. There are “warm water” Humboldt penguins along the coasts of continental Ecuador, Chile and Peru, but they do not go north of the Equator.

Genovesa (Tower) Island Visitor Sites

Genovesa Island - Darwin Bay
Photograph from Galapagos National Park Service

Frigate Bird Chic

The remote and isolated island of Genovesa is located on the north-east edge of the Galapagos archipelago. The fact of its remoteness contributes to its remaining among the most pristine of the islands, as well as one of the most coveted. Small, horseshoe shaped and precious in its unique blend of harsh volcanic terrain and natural beauty, it boasts a vast amount of birdlife; literally thousands of birds frequent this remote refuge and rely on it as their nesting site. While birdlife abounds, the island has no native land animals and no reptiles other than a small subspecies of marine iguana. Sea lions do lounge on the beaches. The pelagic birdlife that rely on Genovesa as a nesting site includes Frigatebirds, Red-Footed Boobies, Swallow-Tailed Gulls and Petrels by the thousands.

Floreana Island

Sorting the Mail at the Post Office on Floreana Island

Post Office Bay and Floreana Post Office

Evidence of Previous Visitors to the Post Office

Floreana, one of the oldest of the Galapagos Islands, and first settled in 1832, is named after Juan Jose Flores, the first president of Ecuador. Now, it is best known for the post office located at Post Office Bay, a brown sand beach inhabited by the ever-present Galapagos sea lions lounging in the sun. For nearly 2 ½ centuries – since 1793 – this unique Galapagos Island post office has been operating in the same fashion. Bring your mail and drop it off, addressed to go anywhere in the world. (On a cruise, your guide will likely provide you with brightly-colored post cards of indigenous animals for this purpose). Then, it’s your job to take a look through the mail that has been left by earlier visitors. If you come across a letter you are able to hand-deliver or mail to someone from your home town, you become the personal mail carrier. Hopefully, someone else will soon come along to carry your mail to your friend or family in the same way.  It’s as easy as that.

Fernandina Island - Espinosa Point and Mangle Point

Fernandina on the Left; Isabela on the Right
Photograph From WikiCommons

Fernandina's Core Erupting in 2009 from Nasa Image

The youngest of the Galapagos Islands, at just about 1,000,000 years old, Fernandina remains on the hot spot that created all of the islands. It is considered to be an active shield volcano with a large caldera, although the caldera collapsed in 1968. Fernandina is the westernmost and third largest of the Galapagos Islands. It most recently erupted in 2005 and 2009. The Island's landscape is dominated by La Cumbre Volcano.  The volcano's lava fields stretch all the way from the top of the volcano to the sea itself.

The Galapagos Conservancy and National Park are determined to keep Fernandina as pristine and untouched by humans and other non-endemic creatures as possible. So, although the Island is literally teeming with bird and marine life, there is only one approved visitation spot on the Island. But, it is really something special.

Bartolome Island - Pinnacle Rock and Beautiful Beaches

Bartolome Island; Pinnacle Rock
Photographed by AquaSurround

Bartholome Island has no human population, but is the home to one of the most recognized and photographed sites in all of the Galapagos Islands: Pinnacle Rock. The Island itself is located in Sullivan Bay to the east of Santiago Island. Because it offers such a spectacular view, most Galapagos travelers will find themselves enjoying the splendors of this island.

Steps on Bartolome with Galapagos Hawk Above
Photograph by AquaSurround

The Galapagos Conservancy has built a 600 meter wooden pathway with more than 300 steps to ensure that visitors are guided to the best spots with as little impact on the surrounding endemic vegetation, animal and birdlife as possible. Look carefully at the rock and lava formations on your way up the climb as you will see very interesting volcanic formations of spatter and tuff cones and lava flows.

Galapagos Islands - An Overview and Visitor Site Information

Where are the Galapagos Islands? What are The Visitor Highlights?

Galapagos Islands Map From Wiki

The Galapagos Islands are spread out over a small piece of the Pacific Ocean and are remote from any other land mass. They are part of the country of Ecuador, but have many of their own laws and regulations, mostly focused on conservation and preservation of the land, sea and wildlife. When you come here, you have decisions to make about where to go, how strenuous your trip should be and how long to stay.

This post is meant to help you with these and many more questions. Here, I provide you with an overview of visitation to each of the Galapagos Islands, with some of their natural history and geography, along with the visitor site highlights of each Island. In addition, as I continue to blog about the Galapagos Islands, I will add links to detailed information about each site. As always, if you have questions, or you want more detail about anything mentioned in this article, please email me at blueattraction@hotmail.com.

The video below, by Alex Hantke of Aquasurround is one of the most beautiful you will ever see of the magnificent wild life, bird life and marine life you can expect to see when you visit the Galapagos Islands. It is a perfect introduction. Click here to see more of Alex's videos.

The Galapagos Islands are located about 600 miles off of the Pacific Coast of continental Ecuador. Though counted in different ways, they consist generally of 15 primary islands, 3-4 smaller islands and more than 100 rocks and islets. 

San Cristobal Island, Nearby Visitor Sites

Kicker Rock at Sunset

I’ve written all about the marvelous spots available for traveling on San Cristobal Island itself in my post entitled San Cristobal Island Visitor Sites. Among them are the main town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, La Loberia, The Interpretation Center, Frigatebird Hill, Darwin Bay, La Galapaguera, El Junco and San Joaquin Hill, Puerto Chino, Mann Beach, Punta Carola Beach (sometimes called Cape Horn Beach) and Colorado Hill Lookout. You can learn all about these sites by visiting my earlier post and also on the website for the Galapagos Eco-Lodge.

While the sites on the island itself are all treasures, the beauty and magic of what lies a short boat ride from the harbor is truly dazzling. The first of these sites, and truly an iconic place in all of the Galapagos Islands, is Kicker Rock, sometimes called Leon Dormido. This is such a spectacular location, breathtaking at any time of day, that it warrants an entire post of its own, Kicker Rock.

San Cristobal Island Visitor Sites

The Hillside and Center of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno
on San Cristobal from the Harbor at Sunrise

The beautiful and versatile San Cristobal Island is one of the most eastern and oldest of the Galapagos Islands. It is moderately-sized, at 195 square miles. But, that land area is filled with some of the most visited and remarkable sites anywhere in the world. This versatility also accounts for the fact that San Cristobal is the second most populated of the Islands; about 8000 people live on San Cristobal. While all of the Galapagos Islands is dedicated to conservancy and maintaining the tenuous ecological balance discovered by Charles Darwin, nowhere is this more true than the Island of San Cristobal itself. It is a forerunner in the quest for renewable energy; at least 60 percent of its energy already is generated by wind and solar power. You will see the wind towers from the harbor and as you drive throughout the island.

Kicker Rock Near San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Islands

Kicker Rock at Sunset photograph by Aquasurround

One of the most photographed sites in all of the Galapagos Islands is Kicker Rock, also known as Leon Dormido because to some it resembles a sleeping lion. Kicker Rock is an easy trip from San Cristobal’s harbor of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and no excursion to the Galapagos Islands is complete without a visit here. There is no more stunning and majestic site in the Galapagos Islands.

Kicker Rock Daytime photograph by Aquasurround

The two inexorable towering monoliths of Kicker Rock are a constant presence within an environment that is otherwise ever-changing and dynamic. Approaching Kicker Rock, you may at first see only one large rock inexplicably rising from the Pacific. As the boat gets closer, you begin to see that there are, in fact, two high peaks and soon you can discern a space between them.

Espanola Island, Punta Suarez

Punta Suarez, Espanola Island

Espanola Island, the southernmost and one of the oldest islands in the archipelago, is a treat waiting to be discovered by every Galapagos Island visitor. If possible, there is too much beauty, uniqueness and wonder to conceive of in one small place.  

Baby Albatross

At Punta Suarez, you have a dry landing – but a very careful one on a rocky ledge – and be sure not to step on the Sea Lions!  You will walk up a trail, through some fascinating flora and fauna and many little lava lizards before arriving at your ultimate destination – the top of a cliff populated by Blue Footed Boobies and Waved Albatross.

Espanola Island, Gardner Bay

Espanola Island is the home to several spectacular visitor sites, one of which is the exquisite white sand beach at Gardner Bay. It's a beach perfect for walking and watching the frolicking and resting sea lions, hundreds of which may be seen here at any given time.

To me, this is always a special place. Always, loud guttural barking is a first indication that we have arrived at Espanola Island’s beautiful Gardner Bay. Be prepared for the amazing welcoming committee made of literally hundreds of sea lions lazing on the beach, playing in the surf and soaking up the sun.

Galapagos Marine and Land Iguanas

Recently, a tourist was found attempting to smuggle four iguanas out of the Galapagos Islands in a suitcase. This situation was horrible and thankfully the man was stopped and the iguanas are safe. The story created outrage, but it also reminded me that iguanas are a unique and amazing species. While there are still iguanas throughout the Islands, they have become extinct on several islands and are on the endangered species list.

At first glimpse, you might find these reptiles to be a bit ugly, even repulsive and scary; you wouldn’t want to face down one of these in a dark alley! But, a second look will probably change your mind. In fact, at second blush, it seems that many of these lizards are smiling. Take a look at this one from Sante Fe Island, for example:

You Have to Love Him!

Lonesome George- Part Two

Post Update:  Ecuador has honored Lonesome George by listing him as part of the Nation's Cultural Heritage.  For a full article see: http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/ecuador-honors-tortoise-with-national-heritage-nod



On a recent cruise around the Galapagos Islands I was lucky to have as guests a couple from Germany who took professional videos throughout the Islands. They were taking the videos for their company AquaSurround, which specializes in creating music and reflective environments that connect to sophisticated waterbed systems. These videos have been set to music and can be seen and heard on Youtube. They are some of the most beautiful and thoughtful Galapagos videos you will ever see and well worth watching.

About Me and Galapagos Eco Friendly

If you love exploration, respect the environment, want to share in the conservation of the paradise we call the Galapagos Islands and yearn to experience first hand the miracles that Charles Darwin brought to the world, then the Galapagos Eco-Lodge is the place to begin your visit to the Galapagos Islands.

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal Island 
The Eco-Lodge is on the hillside 
overlooking the harbor and Pacific Ocean

My idea to build an environmentally sustainable "green" hotel began many years ago and has finally come to fruition.  It is my great pleasure to share the experience of how the hotel came to be built and the principles of preservation that motivated me with you. The hotel is the embodiment of my belief that every traveler to the Galapagos Islands should have the opportunity to live for a little while within our culture while exploring all the natural beauty of our National Park and Marine Reserve.  In this way, your travel and adventure will be enhanced as those of us who live in this paradise can share our knowledge and viewpoints with you.

Lonesome George - Part One

Lonesome George

Lonesome George has died.  I like to think that he moved from Paradise on Earth to another kind of Paradise. 

I’ve been to the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island at least 100 times. Each time George drew me in with his big black/brown sleepy eyes and his long neck. As he dawdled in the leaves, lumbered to his watering hole and lazed in the sun or shade, I wondered about him. Obviously he didn't think in words; neither English nor Spanish popped into his brain. But I observed that he experienced something, interacting with his surroundings, making decisions and providing sustenance for himself. He never seemed phased by our staring at him or studying him. He didn't seem to mind when we became paparazzi and took his picture for posterity.