We flew into the little island of Baltra for the start of our Galapagos cruise. You could see several cruise vessels in the harbor as we came in for a landing.
The airport is quite small, and you exit the plane on the tarmac and walk into the terminal.
The crew of the “Evolution” met us at the airport and transported us to the dock, where we boarded “pangas” (small boats) for the transfer to the ship. Before heading towards the ship, we cruised around the harbor area to get some initial views, and saw the first of many Blue-Footed Boobies.
There were turtles in the water all along the nearby beach, and this big guy taking a break in the sun.
This sea lion was trying to rest on this buoy. He gave us a bark as we circled him.
There is the Evolution, our home for the next week.
After settling into the ship and getting a welcome lecture, we had a quick emergency drill and then headed off on our first adventure. We rode the pangas into a mangrove area where wildlife is in abundance.
The area is particularly a perfect spot for young sharks.
Cruising alongside the mangroves there were plenty of Blue-Footed Boobies to see.
They do have a very unique appearance, particularly with those piercing eyes and feet that seem to be in every possible shade of blue.
We then visited a beach where the turtles climb up and over the sand berm to lay their eggs. There were at least 7 of these turtle trails climbing up the sand.
From the top of the berm you could see the depressions the turtles made to lay their eggs.
Pretty much everybody jumped in the water to try to escape the heat. You can see the Evolution off to the right of the photo.
Fletcher was having a great time swimming along the beach, checking out fish with his goggles on.
Here’s Kim chatting it up with Michael, one of our new friends from the ship. With only 31 passengers, it’s a pretty intimate experience.
At the far end of the beach was a beautiful Sally Lightfoot crab. The rumor is the crab was named after a Caribbean dancer.
Once back onboard I thought this was a nice shot with two small islands, Daphne Major and Daphne Minor, and the Ecuadorian flag.
We were treated to an excellent sunset, the first of many.
Coming up next, another day of wildlife adventures!
So fricken cool!
Wow, what an amazing adventure. I’m looking forward to reading about the rest of the trip. Amazing experience for Fletcher too.
Thanks Saqib! Miss you guys! You need to make a trip down to California sometime soon.