I have undertaken two trips to the Galapagos Islands; one 30 years ago (1993) and one a few weeks ago (2023). The trip 30 years ago was unique in that it involved traveling to the islands on a small ship and sleeping on board. This allowed for more island visits and more frequent land excursions. On the second trip, it was a guided tour, and we stayed on land, but on three different islands. I saw many new things on the second trip as well.
On the first trip, I visited Baltra and Santa Cruz, as Baltra is where the airport is located, and all activities are organized from Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. I also visited Seymour Norte and Turtle Cove (Canal del Amor), which is a part of Santa Cruz, as well as Bartholomew, Plaza Sur, and San Cristobal. On the 2023 trip, I visited Baltra and Santa Cruz again, Plaza Sur, Floreana, Isabela, and Seymour Norte. I had the opportunity to see giant tortoises at two protected sites (Santa Cruz and Floreana) and two breeding centers (Isabela and Santa Cruz), I saw various finches, seabirds, especially frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies, as well as seagulls and pelicans, I also encountered penguins, sharks, stingrays, sea lions, land iguanas, marine iguanas, and a hybrid form, which I will report on separately.
I was able to experience the different regions of the volcanic islands, from desert-like dry zones to tropical forests. The dry zone makes up the majority of the archipelago. The Galapagos rainforest, also known as the Scalesia zone after the dominant plant species Scalesia pedunculata, lies in between an altitude of 200-400 m and is due to regular rainfall (orographic rainfall). Above the forest further zones can be differentiated. The highest elevation is on Isabela, reaching 1689 m.
Three things were particularly noteworthy from the first trip:
various lava fields (Pahoehoe lava - smooth, silky lava with a thin consistency that flows slowly and forms curved, wavy surfaces, as well as Aa lava, which is coarse-grained and has a thicker consistency, forming rugged surfaces with sharp edges)
after crossing a narrow strip of land, I cooled my feet in the sea on very hot sand, where sea turtles and manta rays swam around me
witnessing the mating ritual of sea turtles in Turtle Cove.
The surprise of the second trip for me was Floreana. The journey from Santa Cruz to Floreana took a little over 2 hours, and we sailed against the Humboldt Current, making the crossing usually rougher than the others. We then traveled from Floreana to Isabela and from Isabela to Santa Cruz by speedboat, and these two crossings were calmer, although not completely calm. Floreana has only 140 inhabitants, while Puerto Ayora has over 20,000, making Floreana much quieter. Tourism is also much more modest, which is beneficial for the island and its nature. There are still more things to say about Floreana, which I will elaborate on later.
What did I like the least? The tourist hustle and bustle in Puerto Ayora and beach vacationers. I can understand the desire for snorkeling or diving, but beach vacations? Perhaps one should take inspiration from Bhutan on how to develop sustainable tourism, as it is possible.
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