USA Today Logo New York Times Logo Outside Magazine Logo Conde Nast Traveler Logo National Geographic Traveler
Create your Trip Journal [click here]

Galapagos 2010

By : kate grenier
Trip Begins March 7, 2010
Trip Ends March 14, 2010

Rolfing family trip to the Galapagos: after a whirlwind tour of quito, my family (my parents, brother and my husband) boarded a flight to the land of the unknown... a land we had dreamed about since our last south american family adventure in the early 90's. none of us knew what to expect but we were filled with excitement as we realized we were actually, finally, visiting the Galapagos islands.
See my photos : Galapagos 2010

Want to go? Eric, Letty & Flamingo: 10 Day Tour

I went to: Ecuador, Quito, Galapagos, Galapagos, Bartolome, Santa Cruz Island, Fernandina, Isabela, Genovesa, Santiago, North Seymour, Espanola, Bachas Beach, San Cristobal, Highlands, Charles Darwin Center, Leon Dormido
[enlarge map]
[reduce map]
March 7, 2010
Top

quito to galapagos

Quito, Ecuador

after a whirlwind tour of quito, my family (my parents, brother and my husband) boarded a flight to the land of the unknown... a land we had dreamed about since our last south american family adventure in the early 90's. none of us knew what to expect but we were filled with excitement as we realized we were actually, finally, visiting the galapagos islands.

arriving in san cristobal and catching our first glimpse of life on the islands and the aquatic life, we realized we had quickly fallen into a world unknown to most and one we would talk about for the rest of our lives. sea lions lounging on the ocean steps (and our beach towels), beautiful beaches and waters ready for snorkeling, sand dollars as big as our heads - could it truly be real?!

March 8, 2010
Top

island genovesa, prince phillip's steps, darwin bay

Galapagos, Ecuador

not only were we amazed at the dream land we found ourselves in, but our accommodations and crew couldn't have been better... a huge thank you to the erik - you were an amazing boat!!

we started our morning in genovesa, our first stop after leaving civilization and the other boats behind. although never a huge fan of birding, i couldn't help but be drawn into the excitement and splendor of the different species. the frigate birds, with their ballooning red chests and boobie birds with there colored feet and whimsical dancing topped our list and we never grew bored of watching them.

March 9, 2010
Top

island fernandina, punta espinoza, island isabela, togus cov

Galapagos

iguanas. who knew such a small island could hold so many iguanas?! the rocks appeared lumpy and black as we arrived on the island but as we drew closer we realized the black lumps occasionally moved like slow flowing lava. quickly we realized they were covered in iguanas, basking in the beautiful sun and occasionally spitting/sneezing on each other... this gave us our giggles for the day!

although the iguanas were the main attraction, the sea lions were the best subjects for photographs. my favorite pictures from the trip came from this day and i thank the sea lions for being such willing subjects.

March 10, 2010
Top

island santiago, puerto egas

Galapagos

it is truly something once you discover there is a whole new world below you! the water has always drawn me, i must have been a mermaid in my past life and the waters of galapagos were no exception... i couldn't pull myself from them! the ebb and flow of the currents and unexpected visits from sea turtles, marine iguanas (wow!), sea lions, penguins and sharks still baffle me to this day.

March 11, 2010
Top

island n. seymore, island martolome

Galapagos

today was truly an underwater highlight. after a short hike featuring beautiful views of the islands, it was time to submerge myself again into my underwater playground. the sea lions, their movement in the water was just like ribbon and quickly they (and i) lost all inhibitions and found ourselves playing together. blowing bubbles back and fourth, doing somersaults... they would glide up to me and quickly twist and turn away. for some reason, i found myself with out fear for i had entered their kingdom and felt welcomed as a visitor.

sharks have also always been a fascination and as i was about to exit the water (after everyone else had) i found myself in only a few feet of water surrounded buy 5 or 6 baby galapagos sharks. wow! i rose above to let the others in the boat know what i had found and they could see them in the water around me as i quickly plunged back in to watch the majestic and spooky creatures. thank goodness their mother wasn't around though... i wasn't ready to encounter a full grown shark like that!

yes, the water was the main attraction today but one can not leave out the blue footed boobies with their robin's egg blue feet and humorous character. this is what we came to galapagos to see and what people go home talking about and carrying souvenirs of and their show didn't disappoint.

March 12, 2010
Top

island santa cruz, highlands

Galapagos

tortoise, the other mythical creature that comes to mind when one thinks about the islands. after many days at sea it was exciting to find ourselves in the highlands of island santa cruz, searching for the tortoise and later exploring the darwin station. lonesome george made an appearance and we were able to climb inside an empty tortoise shell and experience first hand the weight of what they carry. yet another amazing creature, a product of the galapagos islands.

we spent the afternoon playing like children, diving off the top of the boat, snorkeling again with the sea lions - a perfect end to the day.

March 13, 2010
Top

island espanola, punta suarez, gardner bay

Galapagos

i find myself using words such as dream like, amazing and fabulous often when describing the trip. our last day was truly the icing on the cake though and showed us a side to the islands we had not discovered yet. after snorkeling around and a long swim to shore, we found ourselves on the most amazing beach. it was littered with sea lions soaking up the sun and waters were a color one only sees in picture books, surreal and unimaginable unless you have been there in person. this island beach was where i found paradise in the galapagos and even now, a few years later, i keep a photograph of it on my desk as i daydream of returning.

March 14, 2010
Top

island san cristobal, quito

Quito, Ecuador

it was tough to leave the splendor of the islands, its inhabitants (air, land and sea) but we did so with the knowledge that in our hearts and mind we were taking a piece of them home. knowledge of a land that so few know but that we hope to share with others. someday, in the near future or years away, my husband and i will return, perhaps with our own family. for now though our dreams of paradise in the galapagos islands will live on through our photos and the smiles that cross our lips each time we recount the trip.

1-5 of 59 imagesMy Travel Photo Album


Share