The Galapagos Islands March 2023

San Cristobal

Before being allowed ashore, Mowzer was boarded by eight officials (including representatives from immigration, customs, environmental agencies, health officials, port control, a naval officer, a yacht agent, a candlestick maker?!) and the hull was inspected by a diver. In an attempt to preserve the unique ecosystem of the Galapagos, those arriving by sailing vessels are required to meet stringent requirements before being granted permission to land ashore. The boat is required to be professionally fumigated before departure from Panama. The hull must be spotlessly clean as one barnacle can see you banished 40 nm offshore where you must remove any remaining growth. Seeds and some fruit and veggies are prohibited. Detergents must be environmentally friendly. Holding tanks for onboard black waste are obligatory. All rubbish must be separated into three labelled bins. The fridge and first aid supplies must be examined and photographed. Life jackets, liferaft and emergency flares are inspected (thankfully they missed that our flares are a decade out of date!). After such intense scrutiny, we were immensely relieved to pass our inspection and to be granted a month-long permit to explore the Islands. The Galapagos Islands were everything that we hoped they would be and then some (Watch the video here)– definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far.

We hiked to the crater lake, El Junco, formed by the collapsed caldera of a volcano and watched incredible arial displays by Frigate birds. We hired bikes and cycled to the David Rodriguez Tortoise Breeding Centre and saw newly hatched baby giant tortoises and their 150+ year old relatives.

We spent a day hiking through cacti-lined nature trails to the Interpretation Centre where we learnt about the history of the islands and later swam with sea lions and giant turtles at Punta Carola.

Our San Cristobel highlight was undoubtedly, the dive of a lifetime off legendary Kicker Rock, (video here) where we swam with Barnaby and Zennor through a school of 40+ hammerhead sharks, rays, black tip sharks and turtles. Not a bad first dive post certification for a pair of nine year olds!

Santa Cruz

After a 40nm day sail from San Cristobel, our next anchorage was Puerto Ayora on the Island of Santa Cruz.

Here we had a couple of awesome days surfing on Tortuga Beach, which is reached via a meandering, 2km route dense with Opuntia cacti and Palo Santo trees, home to many Darwin finches. The 2km long beach is spectacularly beautiful with its white sand set against the blackness of the lava and vivid blue skies. We shared the beach with marine iguanas, pelicans, sea lions, sea turtle nests and shared the shallows with juvenile blacktip reef sharks.

With friends from SV Mehalah, Miles Away and Wild Thing, we hiked to the islands highest peak, the extinct volcano Cerro Crocker. Later, we explored some vast lava tunnels nearby, Los Tuneles del Amor, carved by channels of molten lava and extending over 2 km long.

We spent a day walking in the highlands and visited the El Chato Giant Tortoise Reserve. Here we met some vast tortoises believed to be more than 150 years old.

At Las Grietas we swam in inland turquoise pools, cut through towering lava cliffs and fringed with Opuntia cacti.

We visited the Charles Darwin Foundation where we learnt about the natural history of the islands, and about the on-going research projects which aim to conserve the environment and spectacular biodiversity of the Islands.

One of our favourite hang-outs here was the fish market which attracted a crowd of hovering pelicans, herons and lava gulls, some napping sea lions, and a handful of marine iguanas, all waiting expectantly for fishy scraps.

At the dock side we would regularly see 20+ juvenile black tip reef sharks, and vast schools of golden Cownose rays. Meanwhile, sea lions nursed their pups on the pontoons, enormous sea turtles glided by, Sally Lightfoot crabs scurried on nearby rocks, and pelicans plunged into the water, surfacing with still wriggling fish in their gullets. Sometime, it all felt surreal, like a movie set with a cast of exotic, tame wild animals. Such a magical place. We are immensely grateful that we are privileged with the opportunity to explore these islands with our boys.

Isabella

A day sail westward from Santa Cruz took us to Villamil, Isla Isabela.Here we enjoyed more wild action from pelicans, frigate birds, giant tortoises, sea lions, marine iguanas and we finally spotted some blue footed boobies.

Highlights on Isabela included a bike ride out to the Wall of Tears, past vast, rugged surf beaches, and a hike up to the El Radar lookout point. Often overshadowed by the phenomenal wildlife, the Galapagos Islands have a fascinating human history. A brutal penal colony was established on Isabela in the 1940s, by the then president of Ecuador, using infrastructure left by the US military after World War II.

Political prisoners and petty criminals alike were sent to the island where the regimen was especially cruel, and the 300 prisoners were forced to build a pointless wall as a means of punishment. Out in the sweltering heat, prisoners had to walk long distances to the quarry, where they cut blocks from volcanic rocks and then carry them back to the site and place them on the wall. The only purpose of the wall was to inflict suffering and many men died in its construction. Now known as the El Muro de las Lágrimas or the Wall of Tears, the construction remains today as a memorial all those who suffered there.

More cheerily, we had a great time hanging out with friends from SV Miles Away and SV Wild Thing 2. With seven kids, age 6-11 between us, they have formed an awesome tribe of spirited, independent, slightly feral, young explorers. The adults are pretty cool company too.

After a week in Isabela, we sailed back to Santa Cruz to reprovision and to complete the immigration formalities in preparation for our next passage to French Polynesia. At 3000nm, the journey from Santa Cruz to the Marquesas islands represents the longest single leg of our whole trip. It is a tricky route, with areas of unpredictable light winds and frequent squally periods. All being well, we hope to arrive in 3-4 weeks.

Many thanks for your support, enthusiasm and encouragement, it really helps, especially on bad days when the weather is challenging, precious boat bits fail, or when home school gets too much!