Ecuador Week 3: Galapagos Islands Part 2 – Lonesome George, Empanadas, and Active Volcanoes
Heading West to Santa Cruz and Isabela
The two biggest Galapagos Islands, in terms of size and population, are Isabela and Santa Cruz, respectively. After spending the first three days of our Galapagos adventure on San Cristobal Island it was time to head west to visit these two incredible biospheres and continue the exciting journey.
Our day began at 5:30 in the morning, and we ate a quick breakfast of bread and bananas before taking a pickup truck taxi to the San Cristobal harbor at 6:00 am. We were required to pass through a biosecurity checkpoint before being allowed off of the island, to make sure we weren’t carrying anything that could damage the environment of another island.
Across the Pacific
Once we all passed through the checkpoint, we boarded a water taxi, which only cost 50 cents per person. The taxi took us out to the Gaviota ferry we would ride across the ocean to the next Galapagos Island we’d be visiting on our trip: Santa Cruz. Sea lions jumped up out of the water as we navigated out of the harbor to say goodbye, and then, before we knew it, the coastline disappeared over the horizon as we entered the open ocean.
The sea and the sky combined to form a gorgeous canvas of every shade of blue imaginable, and dashes of white from clouds above and breaking waves below colored the landscape. We sped across the Pacific, bouncing over wave after wave, passing by the island Santa Fe onto Santa Cruz. The waves got choppier the closer we got to Santa Cruz, and after about an hour and forty-five minute voyage, we reached Puerto Ayora.
Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz
Many of the water taxi drivers in Santa Cruz were apparently on strike when we arrived, and a large group of people were congregated near the port in protest. Instead of being ferried to the shore, we had to jump between other boats in the harbor to reach the dock. The last of us also had to form a long assembly line across the separate boats in order to pass everyone’s luggage onto the shore. Carlos worried we wouldn’t be able to find a normal land taxi with the strike happening around us, but he was able to find enough drivers for our whole group willing to take us to the Hotel DejaVu, our home for the night.
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Charles Darwin Research Center and Lonesome George
Once we had checked in and dropped off our luggage, we regrouped out front to walk to the Charles Darwin Research Center. A few minutes later we reached the entrance to the tourist section of this important Galapagos research facility. We split into two groups and explored the area of the center open to visitors.
My group headed to one of the most special buildings at the center, the home of the famous Lonesome George. Lonesome George was a Pinta Giant Tortoise, a unique breed of tortoise only found on the small island of Pinta. Lonesome George was the last of his kind found on Pinta, which has an incredibly dry climate and is without fresh rainwater for months. After carefully rescuing Lonesome George from the island, scientists attempted to have him reproduce in captivity, but were unsuccessful.
A few years later, Lonesome George died, but his taxidermy is now housed in a special climate-controlled area at the Charles Darwin Research Center. We were required to wait in a climatization room for 2 minutes before gaining access to the building, and even once inside were required to stand back behind a line to view the taxidermy through the glass of its protective case.
Fausto Llerena Turtle Breeding Center
We left Lonesome George and toured the rest of the center before heading to another turtle breeding center. Once turtles here grow big enough to survive back in their native island, the scientists release them back into the wild.
The Finca Grill and Granizadas
Once we had finished exploring the rest of the breeding center, a bus drove us back into town for lunch at the Finca Grill. We arrived a little early for lunch though, so we walked around the area nearby while we waited. A few blocks away I spotted a street vendor selling granizadas, a South American shaved ice treat I hadn’t seen since I lived in Guatemala. It was a perfect refreshment for the hot afternoon, and reminded me of my time in Santa Elena, Peten. We walked back to the Finca Grill for a lunch of delicious baked chicken, then I walked back through town to the hotel before the rest of our afternoon activities.
Hike to Tortuga Bay
Our next stop was to visit a beach known as Tortuga Bay on the southern coast of the island. Our bus could only bring us so far however, and we hiked for about half an hour to make it down to the shore. The path felt a bit long, but the beautiful scenery surrounding both sides of the trail made time fly by. Before we knew it, we were watching waves crash into the sand. The sea in this area, known as Playa Brava, was pretty rough, but after walking west for a little while longer we reached a secluded cove where the water was a lot calmer.
Relaxing at Tortuga Bay
This part of the bay, known as Playa Mansa, was an absolute picturesque area of the island. The ebb and flow of the waves here was much calmer than what we had just seen, and with the sun beaming overhead, it was the perfect place to relax and enjoy the tranquility of the Galapagos Islands. Half of our group went out to cool off in the water while the rest of us laid towels out in the shade and took a nap. Eventually we were notified that the beach would be closing soon, so we reluctantly packed up and began the trek back to Puerto Ayora.
Street Empanadas
On the way back from Tortuga Bay, Carlos brought us to a plaza at a street corner that looked just like every other plaza in Puerto Ayora except for one crucial difference. Here, two street vendors working underneath the shade of pop-up tents crafted a delectable delight: fresh empanadas.
They smelled fantastic, and tasted even better. I began by trying a meat empanada, and then liked it so much I ended up trying two more, one with chicken and then another with nutella and banana inside. Words can’t describe how phenomenal these empanadas truly were, and the special sauce they had available to add on top made them certifiably heavenly. I was so absorbed in the sensory masterpiece I completely forgot to take any pictures, but one thing’s for certain: I was never more grateful for Carlos’ insider knowledge of local Galapagos secrets than during the moments I had these empanadas at my disposal.
Dinner at Dimati and Pickup Basketball
There’s a chance I would have spent all the cash I had on those empanadas right then and there, but an amused Carlos notified us it was time to head back to the hotel. With a final glance back, we followed him back to the Hotel DejaVu to shower before eating dinner at Dimati, a restaurant close by. Afterwards, on our way back to the hotel, we passed a park where a group of locals were playing basketball, so a group of us asked if we could join in. We played pickup with them for a while and then headed up the road to the hotel to get some rest at the end of the long day.
Ferry to Isabela
After breakfast the next morning, we walked back to the docks to take another ferry, this time to another new island – Isabela. The water taxis were working this morning, and as one of the last people in our group to arrive at the ferry I was offered the chance to sit up on top of the boat behind the captain. Obviously I jumped at the opportunity, and even though the wind whipped in my face for the entire trip and I got sprayed multiple times by the wake, it was 100% worth it. The best moment was when I saw a whale in the distance come up to the surface of the ocean to shoot water into the air. The ebb and flow of the waves was mesmerizing, and the two hour trip flew by faster than I had expected.
Once we reached Isabela Island, another water taxi transferred us to docks at Puerto Villamil. After regrouping, we loaded our luggage into a waiting pickup truck, then piled into a chiba truck that drove us to the Hostel La Gran Tortuga, where we’d be spending the next two nights. I marveled at that fact that even here on Isabela, where only about 2000 people live year-round, there were still dedicated, protected bike lanes along the streets just like on the other two islands we had visited.
A Flamboyance of Flamingos and Yes, Even More Turtles
After changing clothes in our new rooms we boarded our chiba truck to ride north and towards two incredible wildlife viewing areas on Isabela Island. We stopped first at the Posada De Flamencos to see a flamboyance of flamingos (yes that’s also what a group of flamingos is called; in Spanish it’s just colonia, or colony, which is less fun in my opinion) before heading back down the road a bit to visit another turtle breeding center. The Centro de Crianza Tortugas Gigantes Arnaldo Tupiza Chamaidan had great informational exhibits along with areas for turtles from different islands at different stages of life. We even unexpectedly witnessed two turtles in the middle of reproduction, which added a new element to our turtle observations.
Mangroves and Watering-Holes on Isabela
From the breeding center we walked back towards the city center for lunch on a trail through the nearby nature preserve. The path traversed mainly through a portion of the region’s mangrove forest and over the Poza Puerta de Jelí, a watering-hole popular with basking iguanas who took over a large area of the boardwalk bridge. After exiting the forest we stopped for a delicious traditional lunch at Restaurante El Encanto Dr la Pepa before heading out to snorkel again.
Concha de Perla, Isla Isabela
Just a short walk from where the ferry had dropped us off that morning was a great snorkeling area known as Concha de Perla. A group of gigantic iguanas had set up camp at the entrance of the walkway, and a group of sea lions weren’t too far away as well. After navigating past our animal friends, we walked on a boardwalk through another mangrove forest to reach the water and suited up right on the end platform. The tide was pretty strong in a few places, and a few members of our group got swept out farther than they intended to so Carlos had to go rescue them.
My snorkeling partner and I, swimming on the other side of the pool, were completely oblivious to our classmates’ predicament, and were able to see all sorts of fish and even a few rays. Knowing that being in the water here on Isabela island was my last chance to snorkel in the Galapagos, I made sure to make the most of the opportunity and ended up the last out of the water.
Evening in Isabela
Looking for a way to cool off and relax after our snorkel session, we walked over to the BJ Beach Club, a beachside bar not too far away from the town center. I ordered a refreshing non-alcoholic pina colada, which, combined with the empanadas I bought from another nearby store, reassured the sentiment that life truly was good. There was hardly anyone else around, tourists nor locals, and our group just relaxed watching the waves crash into the beach. A little while later, we returned to the same restaurant we had eaten lunch at too, this time for a delicious dinner. There was a soccer field right next to the restaurant as well, so after we ate I walked over and watched part of a local match of teams from Isabela Island before heading back to our hotel.
Hiking Sierra Negra Volcano
The next morning we fueled up with a quick breakfast at our hotel before getting back on another chiba truck for the day’s main adventure – hiking one of five active volcanoes found on the island, the Sierra Negra Volcano. On our way to the trailhead, we drove past what appeared to be almost completely barren dried-up lava fields. As we moved away from the coast and up into the highlands we began to spot more and more variety of vegetation, and the climate changed from dry to wet. Now, instead of a barren looking shoreline, a lush, green dense jungle looking landscape surrounded us, interspersed by areas cleared for crops.
As we began our hike a light drizzle fell, but it clearly looked like the rain had been drizzling for a while. The trail was very muddy, and our group cautiously made our way up the side of the volcano trying to stay as dry and mud-free as possible. Guava trees watched our progress from the sides of the path as we hiked up the trail and above the fog.
The Caldera
Eventually we climbed up above the clouds, and the rain gave way to sunshine. We began walking around the perimeter of the volcano’s caldera, but because of the low-lying clouds it made it difficult to really see anything below. After hiking for a little longer however, we reached a scenic viewpoint and the clouds parted almost on cue to reveal an incredible view of the caldera floor. Stretching in what seemed like all directions, the caldera appeared enormous. Our guide pointed out the place where the lava had poured out into the caldera the last time it erupted in 2018. It was amazing to spot crevices where rivers of lava had once flowed.
The North Face (No, Not That One)
A bit further down the trail the landscape changed radically all over again. Besides a few scattered cactuses, most vegetation was replaced by an expansive, mesmerizing collection of sediment reminding us what type of geographic feature we were actually hiking on. We carried on, and finally, after a couple of incredible hours of hiking, we reached a lookout point over the rest of the Isla Isabela, where we stopped for lunch.
It was one of the most beautifully scenic spots I’ve ever seen, and no picture I took could even come close to doing it justice. More volcanoes rose up in the distance, some of which were technically on the other side of the equator. So while I ate my packed lunch on the side of a volcano in the southern hemisphere I admired the breathtaking northern hemisphere scenery. We explored the area and took in the view one last time before heading back up the wasteland to the caldera of the volcano and descending down the now even muddier trail back to the trailhead and our waiting chiba.
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Refueling after the Hike
Once we arrived back at the hotel, we dropped off our hiking packs and walked back towards the town center to buy more empanadas. Satisfied from my hunger, I felt ready to make the most of my last afternoon on the island. The rest of my body apparently had a different idea on how to recover from our volcanic hiking adventure, and I ended up taking a much-needed nap before dinner instead. With it being our last dinner in the Galapagos, Carlos had arranged for a special meal at a fantastic local eatery – La Casa del Asado. Our group walked over to the restaurant after the sun had already set, and savored the delicious meal, reminiscing on the week’s activities.
Saying Goodbye to Isabela
The next morning we were up at 4:30 am to load back up into a chiba truck that would transport us to the island’s docks. This time however, we didn’t have a separate pickup truck for the luggage, so after stuffing the chiba truck full with our group and everyone’s luggage, I ended up riding on the outside just holding on to the truck. I managed to hold on for the trip down to the shorefront, and we boarded a water taxi just as the sun was beginning to peek over the ocean horizon. The water taxi took us out to our ferry, and a short while later we were on our way back to Santa Cruz.
The ride across the open ocean was the choppiest voyage we had experienced yet. Thankfully, I wasn’t a member of the seasick squad, but I ended up with my own unique challenge because of the rough conditions. About halfway through the ride I went to use the bathroom, but because I kept flying up into the air it was a lot more difficult than I had expected. Once I returned to my seat I tried my best to get more rest but sleep was virtually impossible. I managed to sort of doze off for about 20 minutes, but by then the port in Santa Cruz was already coming into view.
Giant Tortoises and Lava Tunnels
Once we got off of the ferry, we boarded a bus that took us north into the highlands for breakfast at El Chato Ranch – Giant Tortoise Reserve. The breakfast was incredible – some of the best food I had eaten all week – and my portions reflected it. Once we had stuffed ourselves with local fruit, pastries, and other delicious delicacies, we walked to another building to trade our sandals for boots so we could walk through the lava tunnels on the property. When we climbed out the other side we entered the middle of the giant tortoise reserve, home to some of the largest we had seen during our entire week in the archipelago. We took pictures and reflected on our week’s adventures, taking in as much as we could in our final hours in this beautifully serene habitat.
Traveling to the Airport
After getting my passport stamped and using the restroom quickly I hopped back onto the bus to head to the airport. We drove through Santa Rosa to the north end of Santa Cruz, then transferred to a ferry for a quick 10 minute ferry across a channel to Baltra.
The island of Baltra is super small and super dry, but also happens to be the site of an old US Military base. The former base has been repurposed into an airport that serves as the main gateway between the Galapagos Islands and the rest of the mainland continent.
After the ferry reached the other side of the channel a few minutes later, we boarded another bus that would take us straight to the airport. When we arrived we unloaded our bags and checked them at the counter before saying goodbye to Carlos. We were all super grateful for his friendliness and professionalism as our incredible guide for the week. I’d 100% recommend and trust him to take me anywhere throughout the Galapagos Archipelago, and it was sad to give him a hug goodbye.
Back to the Mainland
After Carlos left, we went through security, which was likely the quickest airport security line I’ve ever gone through. We still had some time before our flight left back to Guayaquil, so a group of us played card games in the terminal’s food court for a while. Eventually we were led out onto the tarmac and climbed up the stairs next to the plane to board our flight back across the Pacific Ocean to Ecuador.
When we landed we retrieved our bags, bought a quick dinner, and then walked outside to find our chartered bus back to Cuenca. We drove for about six hours back to Cuenca, longer this time because the road through Cajas National Park was closed due to poor weather. Finally, at around 1:00 in the morning we arrived in Cuenca, culminating one of the most incredible trips of my life. The trip to the Galapagos Islands was without a doubt the highlight of the summer study abroad program, and was an experience I am not likely to ever forget.
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