Early Monday morning I returned from my first ever trip to South America (five of seven continents are now under my belt). This time I was leading a small group of beginning photographers for Thomson Family Adventures, an outfitter that specializes in family adventures. The trip included five days in the Galapagos followed by three days in the Ecuadorian highlands outside of Quito (the capital of Ecuador). This is part one in a multi-part series describing the trip and exhibiting some of the images that were captured.
The Galapagos is an island archipelago located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. It is most famous for its historical significance, as the unique wildlife of the islands assisted Charles Darwin in his development of the Theory of Natural Selection. Visitors to the island are amazed by the close wildlife encounters. In the Galapagos, animals are totally unafraid of humans, permitting people to approach to within a few feet and sometimes a few inches. The close encounters, coupled with the endemic flora and fauna of the islands make it a unique experience and a perfect place to practice wildlife photography.
Following flights from Atlanta and on to Quito, we spent the night at the Hilton Colon in Quito. The next morning, we returned to the airport to begin our photographic adventure. After a two and a half hour flight, we arrived on Baltra Island, in the Galapagos. A quick bus ride transported us to the marina where we took zodiacs to the Galapagos Explored II, a 100 passenger cruise ship that was to be our home for the next five days.
At orientation, we learned we would be making two landings daily, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. Landings would involve zodiacs and could be either wet or dry (referring to our condition once we got ashore). There are 120 different landing sites in the Galapagos and each has its own characteristics. Passengers were divided into 16 person groups each with a unique name (we were gavioatas (sea gulls)). Groups were then paired up with licensed naturalists who guided us around the islands. Excursions would last between two and three hours.
Shortly after boarding, we set sail for Santa Cruz Island and our first shore excursion. The area known as Dragon Hill is most remarkable for the presence of land iguanas. Unlike their marine counterparts, the land iguanas are yellowish in color and do not swim in the ocean. During the easy hike, we saw marine iguanas, flamingos, and mockingbirds. We also saw a variety of native plants found throughout the Galapagos archipelago.
Land Iguana
Our second day found us on Bartolome Island, a mostly barren volcano that looked like the surface of the moon. The high point (literally) of Bartolome is the 40-minute climb to the volcanic peak where we were treated to a stunning view of pinnacle rock. Wildlife is sparse on Bartolome, be we did see a lava lizards and pelicans.
- Bartolome Island, Galapagos
- Pinnacle Rock from Bartolome Island, Galapagos.
The remainder or the morning was spent on Bartolome’s small beach were people could snorkel. Ysabel and I spent our time chasing Sally Lightfoot Crabs around on the lava rocks.
Sally Lightfoot Crab on lava rocks.
In my opinion, the third landing marked the true photographic beginning of the trip. James (Santiago) Island involved a wet landing and hosted a wide variety of wildlife that was easy to photograph. Along the coastline, we saw and photographed both sea lions and fur seals. Seeing the fur seals sunning on the rocks brought flashbacks of my time researching them in South Africa. The marine iguanas were abundant and allowed us to approach to within inches, permitting wide-angle closeups.
Juvenile Marine Iguana.
Marine Iguanas on the seashore.
After the hike, we spent an hour on the beach, photographing birds and sea lions as they moved around us. The highlight was when a very large male sea lion came ashore and climbed onto the rocks directly in front of where we were standing. He must have weighed over 500 pounds!
Male Galapagos seal lion calling.
Minutes before returning to the ship, two Great Frigatebirds flew directly overhead, providing a spectacular finish to our second day in the Galapagos.
Male Great Frigatebird in flight.
