Galapagos, October, 2015
I cannot describe to you how fortunate I feel, to be invited to explore more of these mysterious islands. And how strange and marvelous the circumstances! To be speaking to you again along these lines is truly a gift—a gift given all because I won a contest! Readers voted for me to win Adventure Life’s Blog …

Next stop: Punta Pitt, San Cristobal!
We had a leisurely walkon a strangely colored, greenish beach, made so by olivine crystals in the sand. Lava lizards abound. We then turned inland and hiked up a dry river run that flows freely in El Niño rains—they have to take travelers elsewhere during those years. It must be gorgeous to see it …

Cerro Brujo. This is what is left of a tuff cone. (That is where the lava enters a very cold ocean, causing an explosion. It creates a different shape.) This is also one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin. The sun came out for our visit here, which was welcome. We rode the dinghies along the cliff face, giving us only an indication to …

Our new guide was Julian, and he was knowledgeable and friendly. We were still in good hands! Our group disembarked by a small lighthouse. Walking the path was made even trickier because mother sea lions and their cubs saw no reason to give us passage. Not that we minded much. But our guide never wanted to put us or the animals in a situation …

Floreanahad unique features. There was a giant, gnarly mangrove tree that dominated the crescent shaped shoreline. Erosion had made a secondary type of cliff, where a Blue footed booby and giant chick sat together and groomed. This beach had the green sand caused by the olivine crystals, while a beach on the other side of the island got different …

Up early to pack and go to Santa Cruz island, to visit the Charles Darwin Center. The bus stopped right by the mosaic garden, (click here for photos and art from this area) so we ducked in for two minutes. Then we looked in on the different land tortoises.

One memorable moment was when two female saddlebacks squared off, heads stretched to their …

I wanted to give potential travelers my observations, having had the unique opportunity to go to the Galapagos at two different times of year, on two different boats, with two different itineraries. What would I pick, knowing what I know? Let me say right off the bat—if either of these trips had been my only trip, I would be THRILLED. I …

Snorkel sightings! (Disclaimer: Jaime and I would sit down with a Galapagos Marine Species book on board the ship and, from memory, identify what we saw. While we tried to be accurate, there may be some that are mis-remembered! We did the best we could!) 20-25% of the fish here are endemic, meaning they are ONLY here. There are over 500 species of …

In Galapagos, there is this anticipation…this air of expectant wonder, that around every corner awaits something magnificent…and it is waiting. I have been to many parts of the world and seen many amazing natural wonders. But here…it is almost like Mother Nature is enjoying showing off just as much as we are enjoying the view. …