Galapagos- Day 1

Last week we went to the Galapagos Islands! We figured we couldn't live in Ecuador and not visit them. The Galapagos are part of Ecuador, and they are an archipelago of volcanic islands 600 miles off the coast of the mainland Ecuador, in the Pacific Ocean. They are famous for their large amount of endemic species (only found there), and because of Charles Darwin's studies on the islands, which helped lead to his evolution and natural selection theory.

this is the whole airport

After two flights, a little difficulty with our entrance fee (make sure you bring cash if you go!!), a short bus ride, a ferry ride, and a long bus ride, we made it to our hotel- Tortuga Bay Resort. We also joined with our tour group, which the majority ended up being about 25 sixth grade boys. Not our ideal tour group, but we tried to ignore them and we were ready for some fun!

We stayed on the Island of Santa Cruz. This is a view of the main town, Puerto Ayora.

There are lots of cactus in this part of the island. We almost felt like we were back in the Arizona desert! But much more humid.

The first place we went was the Charles Darwin Research Station. Here tortoises are bred, hatched, and cared for until they are ready to be introduced into the wild. We saw several large tortoises.

This big guy is "Lonesome George." He is famous in the Galapagos, as he is the last known tortoise of his specific species. He has been labeled the "rarest creature in the world." It's estimated that he is nearly 100 years old. This was the best view we had of him.

This is a Galapagos Land Iguana. We liked his red and yellow coloring. Their coloring is one obvious distinction from the marine iguanas.

After we left the Charles Darwin center, our tour guide took us to see the pelicans being fed. When the fishing boats come in at the end of the day, a few fish are saved to feed them. People could pay a small amount of the fish to throw to them.

On a nearby dock we saw several sea lions lounging in the sun. There were also several red and black crabs climbing on the rocks below.