Saturday, March 2 through Tuesday, March 5 – aboard the M/S Cachalote Explorer
The days on the boat were busy. We had at least three excursions per day – a combination of hikes and snorkeling. On one day we had an option to go kayaking; I did that. We visited six islands during our six day cruise. One thing that surprised me was how diverse the landscapes were between the different islands. Another surprise was how incredibly tame the animals were. They have no fear of humans.
Considering we’re in the rainy season in Ecuador, we got extremely lucky with the weather – no rain at all. And another nice bonus was the lack of clouds at night, which resulted in amazing stargazing opportunities!
Of course I took loads of pictures. I’ve picked some of the best to post here…
Our first excursion was to Gardner Bay on Espanola (Hood) Island. That’s Bella and Evie (you’ll be seeing more of them). We used inflatable boats called Pangas to transfer from the Catcholte to the hiking or snorkeling point. Two pangas were used to transport our group of 14. This was a wet landing (obviously!), but a lot were dry (to a dock or outcropping).More of our sea lion friends. You can see by the footprints in the sand how close we were able to get to them.Now in Punta Suarez: in the foreground are a mother and child Nazca booby, in the background an Espanola lava lizard.The beautiful cliffs of Punta Suarez (reminds me a little bit of Ireland)More lizards and sea lionsPink flamingos at Punta Cormorant on Floreana Island. So this is where they go when they leave Bascom Hill!This is very cool! These are fresh tracks from a sea turtle that came ashore to lay her eggs.Up close and personal with a Galapagos cormorantA waterside talk while Evie plays in the mud (I’m actually standing in the mud while taking the picture!)Excited to go back to the boat for lunch…Day 3 coming to an end…Nice pose by blue-footed boobies (well, one anyway! the other is scratching himself!) with the Cachalote Explorer in the backgroundA Galapagos land iguana on Santa Cruz IslandPinnacle Rock on Bartolome Island as viewed from Sullivan Bay on James Island. It was formed by an eruption from an underwater volcano and has eroded over the years to form this iconic shape.The amazing lava flow field of James Island. Formed from an eruption in 1897.Without a doubt the cutest sighting of the cruise! A sea lion cub estimated to be 2-3 weeks old. This is in Darwin Bay on Genovesa Island.Great spot for a biology lecture!Mother and child Nazca boobies. The babies are so fluffy!Preening magnificent frigatebirdA Nazca booby shading her chick Red-footed booby (beautiful beak!)I like the multiple contrasting colorsPreparing for another excursion……pangas at the ready!The desolate terrain of El Barranco on Genovesa IslandShort-eared owlHere’s an example of a dry landing (and a rather dodgy one at that!)Back to the Cachalote (note the kayaks are ready to go!)The sun sets on day 5…I was asked to post a picture of my new hat, so here you go. Stunning, I know! I believe we were all focused on an iguana hanging out in the tall grass.
In my next entry I’ll include some pictures from our snorkeling – I didn’t take the pictures, but I did see all the things in the photos. Promise!
8 thoughts on “JE 28”
Love all the animals – and the sea lion cub is sooo cute!! You got some great pictures! The scenery is amazing too! What an incredible experience UT!
Love all the animals – and the sea lion cub is sooo cute!! You got some great pictures! The scenery is amazing too! What an incredible experience UT!
Thanks Holly! It was a wonderful adventure!
I love all of the animals!
Thanks Ali!
That little sea lion cub!! So cute. Looks like you had a great trip with a good group of people! Looking forward to the snorkeling pictures 🙂
Hi Kait! Thanks for the note!
The wildlife is amazing! Love all of the pictures!
Thanks Kari!