I’m quite slowly making my way through the tales of our wonderful trip to the Galapagos…and someway, inadvertently, I already passed over our stop at Kicker Rock, Isla Lobos, and San Cristobal.
Kicker Rock is this protruding rock in the middle of the ocean that looks, well, pretty much like a boot or high-top sneaker. Sunsets are just gorgeous on the ocean, aren’t they?
Snorkeling in the Galapagos is fantastic, but one of the highlights is definitely snorkeling with the sea lions. The pups really like to play, and play they do with both each other and the snorkelers! Obviously, it goes without saying* that you should never touch/feed/provoke or otherwise act stupidly with a wild animal.
*(Um, people in Yellowstone picking up the bison calf or also in Wyoming picking up the baby antelope and putting in their car with their dogs? Sigh. Since there is clearly limited common sense in the world, I feel like it doesn’t go without saying–better say it.)
Isla Lobos was the first time we had the opportunity to snorkel with the sea lions. Anyhow, the pups will swim and play with you, and all you have to do is float, paddle a bit, and watch them have a blast. It’s so much fun. One pup was particularly interested in DH…I so wish I had gotten a photo of their encounter, but they were literally just watching each other, while DH was floating and the pup got closer and closer and closer. He/she then darted at DH, really startling him, and then started swimming and diving in circles like he was oh so very pleased with himself. More on sea lions soon, promise!
San Cristobal was simply beautiful, and the storm clouds looming gave such a beautiful contrast between sky and ocean. Tons to look at too, including lots of marine igaunas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, sea lions, and birds–including finches, a pelican, and diving blue footed boobies.
While we did have a lot of activities scheduled every day on our Galapagos trip, the wildlife and the beauty of the islands made each excursion exciting and new. Our guides were fantastic at giving us ample time to ask questions, talk about the flora and the fauna, and also just wander/explore/take pictures on our own. Traveling in a very small boat and a very small group was something that was very important to us when we selected an operator for this trip (Natural Habitat), and I’m so glad it was something we prioritized. Plus, our group was largely wonderful, so it was fun to get to know them at the same time.
Next up, the island of Floreana!
I was wondering how you got to the Galapagos Islands? I have read that there are flights from south america directly to the main island – or you can take a boat from south america. Which option did you choose and why? Thanks so much for your thoughts!!
Also, if you have already covered all of this – please feel free to just link me to the information.
Hi Christina, we took a flight from Guayaquil to Baltra Island in the Galapagos, which is probably the route “most traveled”. I think it was about 2 hours give or take. We didn’t consider a boat from South America because it’s far…the islands are 600 miles or 1000 km from the coast of Ecuador. Since we both work full-time, we wanted to maximize the time we had in the islands and minimize travel time. Hope that helps!