The Galapagos Islands aboard the Alta A Journey Back in Time
I have been sitting in front of my computer for about an hour, trying to put my Galapagos experience into writing, but I cannot seem to find any words that can describe my week in the Galapagos islands onboard the Alta. Just 3 days ago, Lily and I were sailing onboard the Alta Galapagos Cruise on the exotic Galapagos islands, with our greatest worry being “what encounters will await us on the next island�. We were in paradise for 8 days.
From the first moment we set foot on the Galapagos islands, they lived up to our dreams of a sheltered place far removed from the usual concerns. The sky was sunny, and the sea breeze created that perfect air temperature that instantly relaxes the body. The ocean was an ever inviting turquoise blue, matched by long sandy beaches of coral white, pink, volcanic black and looking-glass green sand. We boarded our beautiful sailing ship Alta and set off on our journey to encompass the entirety of these famous Galapagos islands.
Each day in the Galapagos was filled with so many activities that we never even had time to think about the wonderful experiences we had every day. It is only now that I am sitting here at home that I realize how many wonderful things we saw on our week on the Alta in the Galapagos. The highlight of our trip had to be the countless opportunities that we had to snorkel with sea lions, penguins, green sea turtles, eagle rays, iguanas and much more! You would have loved it! It was difficult to imagine at first that creatures on Galapagos islands do not fear humans, but by the end, we realized that these creatures were even more curious about us than we were about them.
Our favorite Galapagos islands throughout the trip were Tower, Isabela, Española and Fernandina. We visited Tower Island on the second day, also known as “Bird Island,� where we saw red-footed boobies wrapping their webbed feet around branches to perch in the bushes, while their “masked-booby� cousins dotted the surface of the scrublands beyond. Darwin Bay beach, also on this Galapagos island, was a majestic place where we were surrounded by the bustling activity of “great frigate birds.� You would have taken amazing pictures with your camera! Farther along the beach we discovered a stunning series of sheltered pools set into a rocky outcrop, forming a beautiful natural film set. It was indescribable. If you ever make it out here, you have to visit this island!
On the third day we visited Fernandina, where a huge volcano called “La Cumbre� is found. This volcano erupts very frequently, although we did not see any activity. Punta Espinosa, a narrow spit of land in the northeast corner of the island, is where we saw a number of unique Galapagos species in close proximity. Red and turquoise-blue zayapas crabs were dispersed across the lava shoreline, while herons and egrets foraged through the mangrove roots. A short walk through the vegetation lead to a large colony of marine iguanas—a schoolyard of Godzilla’s children—resting atop one another in friendly heaps along the rocky shoreline, spitting water to clear their bodies of salt. Behind them, sea lions frolicked in a sheltered lagoon. This was one of the few places where we got a glimpse of marine iguanas grazing on seaweed underwater!
That same afternoon we visited Tagus Cove, on Isabela Island, named for a British naval vessel that moored there in 1814, and used historically as an anchorage for pirates and whalers. One can still find the names of their ships carved into the rock above our landing, but we were no longer allowed to carve into the rocks. The cove’s quiet waters made for an ideal panga ride beneath its sheltered cliffs, where blue-footed boobies, brown noddies and pelicans make their nests. We even saw the second smallest penguins in the world, which reminded me of our voyage to Antarctica with Cherie and you.
On the last day of our trip we visited Española Island, also known as Hood. This is the southernmost island of the archipelago, and had a breathtaking variation and sheer number of fauna that greeted us from the beginning. Sea lions surfed the waves beyond the breakwater landing, and tiny pups greeted our toes upon arrival. A few steps inland we saw the largest variety of marine iguana in the Galapagos, baring distinctive red and black markings and napping in communal piles. Further inward, a blowhole shot a geyser of water into the air while just a few meters away the “Albatross Airport� was located. Here “waved albatross� lined up to launch their great winged bodies from the cliffs, soaring out over the dramatic shoreline of crashing waves and driven spray.
The Galapagos Islands themselves were the highlight of our trip, but everything was made even more spectacular by the professional crew, great accommodations and superb dining of our lovely Alta Galapagos Sailing Cruise
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