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Galapagos Cruise - 11 islands in 8 days

(Quito) View from Cruz Loma, Pichincha Volcano

By : Glory Moore
Trip Begins December 10, 2009
Trip Ends December 17, 2009

Jaw dropping flora and fauna. Spectacular guides with a wealth of knowledge. Amazing photography opportunities. Quite possibly the best vacation I have taken thus far. I highly recommend extending your stay on the mainland to experience the culture too

Dec 10 - San CristobalThe Start of Something Special
Dec 11 - EspanolaAm I Dreaming?
Dec 12 - FloreanaSo Close (in more ways than one)
Dec 13 - Santa Cruz Island
Dec 14 - Santa Fe
Dec 15 - Santiago
Dec 16 - North Seymour
Dec 17 - Lobos

See my photos : Galapagos aboard the Millennium

Want to go? Millennium: 7 Day Tour - Saturday

I went to: Galapagos, Santa Cruz Island, Santiago, Santa Fe, South Plaza, North Seymour, Espanola, Floreana, Rabida, San Cristobal, Lobos, Charles Darwin Center

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December 10, 2009

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The Start of Something Special

San Cristobal, Galapagos

The trip is off to a grand start. Got settled in on the Millennium, organized the photo bag and then headed back to the island for a trip to the educational center. Great photography opportunities arose with beautiful flowers and a Cactus Ground Finch eating a Prickly Pear Cactus flower, head covered in pollen (photo in album). I'm learning early that covering more ground doesn't necessarily mean I'm going to see more. Going slow is the way to go...you let nature move at it's pace, and observe.

Walked back to the pier (instead of taking the bus) and got my first sea lion and pup photos along the way. Also received insite as to the way nature and man are clashing on the island. The construction going on to keep pace with tourism is negatively impacting the wildlife.

Our guide, Hanzel, is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about sharing his wealth of information. This is going to be an awesome trip!

December 11, 2009

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Am I Dreaming?

Espanola, Galapagos

If I didn't have the photos to prove it, I'd think I was dreaming. Quite possibly one of my favorite islands this trip. The weather being perfect made it that much more magical. Took tons (and by tons I mean several gigs) of photos of sea lions, marine iguanas, nazca boobies and blue footed boobies. The icing on the cake was having a female sea lion come up to me and put her head in my lap! I was a bit nervous but luckily had a wide angle lens on and snapped a few photos before she moved on. What a wonderful day!

December 12, 2009

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So Close (in more ways than one)

Floreana, Galapagos

The morning weather started off a bit on the dreary side which didn't make for spectacular photography, but that didn't stop me from shooting alot of flamingo photos. One of my "so close" moments was during our visit on the island it appeared we had just missed a turtle returning to the ocean from laying her nest. There was also a false crawl which looked very fresh as well. SO CLOSE! One of the most awe inspiring things to witness in life is watching a turtle dig a nest, lay her eggs, cover the nest and return to the ocean.

The other "so close" moment came at Post Office Bay where, while we were sorting through all the postcards dropped into the whiskey barrel, we found a card being sent to a woman that lived down the beach from us in Florida. She was SO CLOSE that we drove it to her and hand delivered it when we returned. How neat is that? We're now facebook friends!

My Photo Album: Galapagos aboard the Millennium