Galápagos

The Galápagos archipelago is a group of 14 islands that belongs to Ecuador and lies 972 kilometres off the Ecuadorian mainland. It lies above the Nazca, Pacific and Cocos tectonic plates and the ongoing seismic and volcanic activities formed, and continue to change, the islands over millions of years. These formation processes, together with the extreme isolation of the islands, led to the development of unusual animal lives which attracted the attention of Charles Darwin. (Sources: http:///whc.unesco.org/en/list/1/, http://en.ecuador.travel)

Source: This Is Ecuador, November 2012

Darwin had came to South America on a topographical mapping boat, H.M.S. Beagle, in 1835. During the expedition, Darwin became fascinated with the wildlife and started to collect fossils and animals. His observations and experiences in Galápagos and the classification of the specimen by experts, amongst many, eventually led him to conclude in his publication "On the origin of species" that there was no stability in species and they evolve over time to adapt to conditions, dangers and enemies in their habitat. That was 1859. (Source: Galapagos Now, September 2010) 

The islands of Galápagos, their national park and the marine biological reserve were named a World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 for its "outstanding universal value" and "integrity". The national park consists of 77,000 km2 (or 97%) of all terrestrial parts of the islands, and the boundary extends 40 nautical miles offshore to form the marine reserve and covers an area of 133,000 km2. (Sources: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1/, http://en.ecuador.travel) The remaining 3% of land are urban areas or farms.

Given the fragile state of the islands, the Parque Nacional Galápagos controls and monitors the activities on the islands. There are 70 terrestrial and 79 marine visitor sites, most of which can be visited only with qualified guides and via boats. Permits are issued on an annual basis to each boat on pre-approved daily or multi-day itineraries. For multi-day itineraries, the boats visit islands over 3 - 15 days, via the the Northern Islands route and the Southern Islands route. Both activities and visitor load are restricted at each visitor site. For example, Darwin Bay of Genovesa Island is a 'Natural Intensive' area where only hikes with naturalist guides are permitted and with no more than 4 groups of 16 visitors at any one time. (Source: http://www.galapagospark.org)

How I got to Galápagos

When I boarded the boat to the Amazon forest, I asked the other 3 visitors if they have been/ know how to get to Galápagos. It turned out that Keith wanted to head there after the jungle trip too. At the lodge, Keith and I booked our air tickets to Galápagos (I had a lot of issues with the reservation but he did not) and we found ourselves staying overnight at the Starbucks cafe at the Lima Jorge Chávez International Airport, doing research and waiting for our flight to Galápagos. 

[Sidetrack: I cannot understand how almost all the flights in Peru have to go through the Lima airport (I went through this airport 5 times!). The airport hotel's occupancy rate is very high and the average room rate is extremely high - boss, we should acquire this hotel. Anyway, for those of you who need to transit in Lima, I highly recommend buying a coffee and chilling out at Starbucks. They have wifi and do not mind if you buy outside food to eat there (so long you have a coffee). It is not too far from the washrooms and there is a shower at 27 Pesos in the spa next door. And oh, there are plenty of security officers around.]

Keith and I were reading reviews and shortlisting boats that we like when JP, who was sitting at the next table, overheard our discussions. He had just been to Galápagos and shared with us his experience on his boat and showed us his amazing photographs. He also linked me up with Amberella, who was on another boat, so that I could ask her about her boat and experiences.

JP with a sea lion at San Cristobal Island

To get to Galápagos, one had to depart from Ecuador's capital Quito or Guayaquil. At the Quito or Guayaquil airport, go to the SIGCAL (inspection and quarantine) counter, pay US$10 to get an entry card with your name and a declaration form to enter Galápagos. Keep the entry card as it has to be produced at the immigration upon departure from the island (or you would have to pay for another one). Then, have your bags scanned and tagged. This is to ensure that no flora (including seeds) and fauna is brought into Galápagos. You can now go to the airline counter to check in your luggages (all airlines only accept SIGCAL tagged bags). 

There are 2 airports in Galápagos - one in Baltra Island and one in San Cristóbal Island. I have flown to Baltra Island because that is the nearer airport to Santa Cruz Island, where I intended to book a cruise. At the immigration counter at the Baltra airport, submit the completed declaration form and pay the national park fees (mine cost US$100).

From the Baltra airport, take one of the buses from LAN, TAME or Aerogal  to the port (they do not care which airline you have arrived with). The ride is free and it takes 10 minutes. 

At the port, throw your luggage onto the roof of the waiting boat, go down the ramp and board the boat. The boat ride is 10 minutes and costs US$0.80 (pay on the boat).

At the next port, board the bus that goes to town for US$1. Alternatively, the local taxis are white utes with no taxi sign. The taxi ride to town takes 45 minutes and costs US$18. 

Sources on wildlife in the next few Galápagos blog entries:

Naturalist guide Martha Chica

Birds, mammals & reptiles of the Galápagos Islands by Andy Swash and Rob Still

Marine life of the Galápagos. A diver’s guide to the fishes, whales, dolphins and marine invertebrates by Pierre Constant

Wildlife of Galápagos by Julian Fitter, Daniel Fitter and David Hosking

Galápagos wildlife by David Horwell and Pete Oxford