Sherry and I just returned from a week in the Galapagos Islands with my sister Andrea, brother-in-law Scott and their friends Beth and David. It was easily my favorite trip of the year and could easily count as dozens of adventures.
Truly a blessing
We are incredibly fortunate to be able to experience this. Between the amazing flora, incredible landscapes and creatures large and small everywhere, there was so much to look at and experience. But this place is also about history and discovery, and all of that learning is thanks to our guide Camilo with help from my knowledgeable science teacher sister.
We also have to appreciate that the islands have been preserved. The Ecuadorians are taking care to protect the habitats, and scientists have removed the feral pigs and goats that once disrupted the ecosystems.
I did not know what to expect. I had assumed that Galapagos was a couple of rocks teaming with birds. I could not have been more wrong. We learned about the formation of the islands. Each created from one or more volcanic eruptions occurring over millennia. Each island with its own history, sometimes thousands or millions of years apart.
Weakness is the Strength
Galapagos’ weakness is its strength. Since there is little fresh water, mammals cannot survive for long, so amphibians and lizards rule. Humans tried to start colonies here and failed. There are very few natural predators. One reason Darwin was able to create “Origin of the Species” and kicked off humanity’s understanding of modern genetics is the small and large variations in individual species he found between the islands. Each adaptation designed to survive in a different climate, which could have only been caused by natural selection.
Some of our favorites
We had many favorite animals including:
- Blue footed booby. These birds are stunning to look at with their coral blue feet, but are also amazing hunters, soaring 100 feet into the air, then folding their wings and diving into the water at nearly 60 mph.
- Magnificent Frigatebird. These beautiful creatures soar effortlessly through the sky, and enjoyed sailing over our boat
- Playful sea lions came to greet us when snorkeling. We also got to experience them on-shore, coming back to nurse their young.
- The giant tortoises can live 150 years or more, and continue to reproduce even towards the end of their lives.
- The beautiful sea turtles, who ignored us, but that meant we could get really close by.
- There were dozens of other birds: flamingos, pelicans, finches and penguins
- The islands house two type of iguanas: land and marine, each with their own adaptation for handling the harsh environment. I greatly appreciated the marine iguana’s ability to ingest sea water, separate out the salt and spit it out onto the tops of their heads.
- We saw white tipped sharks and manta rays. One ray was over 20 feet across.
We took thousands of pictures and chose these best ones for you to enjoy.
