National Geographic Lindblad Trip - Last Days

From Ecuador

Photos here.

We made an early morning visit to one of the iconic places in the Galapagos - Cerro Dragon. It is a volcanic hill with views down to a unique rock formation next to a beautiful beach. It was many steps up but the view was very, very nice.

In the last days we went snorkeling many times. It was so great. What was so really good was that we saw penguins not only on the rocks but also in the water with us. It was really impossible to get a photo of them in the water. They are super fast swimmers. I was checking them out and one almost swam right into my face. It was like a guided missile shooting at me. It certainly startled me.

Austin did not snorkel until the last day. However, he saw everything on that last day. He got to see all the fish plus penguins, sea lions and turtles. It was great.

Thanks Dad for such a great trip. We all enjoyed it and will remember it always.

National Geographic Lindblad Trip - Santa Cruz Island

From Ecuador

Check out the photos here.

Santa Cruz Island has a larger population than the other islands. The village of Puerto Ayora has a population of 15,000 people. It is home to the Charles Darwin Research Station. We visited the Charles Darwin Research Station and viewed some of its conservation efforts. Ever increasing tourism has impacted the amazing wildlife in the Galapagos. The Research Station studies the impact and tries to ensure the preservation of all wildlife in the Galapagos.

At the research station we saw our first tortoises. The station has a number of tortoises. They are pretty big animals and can weigh up to 800 lbs. Early visitors would take them from the Galapagos because they could survive a long time in ships and provide food for sailers. The population is now quite low. The Pinta Island tortoise has only one remaining specimen - Lonesome George. You would think him old at 77 years old but tortoises can live up to 150 years. If the research station can not find someone for George to mate with he may be the last of the Pinta Island tortoises. He won't mate with just any other tortoise. Some tortoises with similar DNA have been found on a volcano on Isabela island. Researches think that maybe a ship with a variety of tortoises wrecked and the tortoises made it to Isabela island. They are hoping that one of these tortoises will interest poor old Lonesome George. The research station has a breeding program to help increase populations of all tortoises in Galapagos islands.

The research station has worked hard to eradicate non-native species such as goats and rats on the various islands.

After checking out the station we walked into Puerto Ayora. There was plenty of shopping there that I ignored. My nephews got some crazy masks and pants. My brother-in-law also got some crazy pants. I am not sure anyone else bought anything. I used the internet which was much cheaper than on the ship.

We then headed up to the highlands. After lunch Huichi and I headed further up to check out large volcanic sink holes. These occur when a large bubble in lava forms. After the lava cools the bubble collapses forming a large sinkhole. Next we headed down to a farm. These farms have realized they can make additional income by opening up their farms and letting tourists walk around looking for tortoises in the wild. We did see a few. Apparently my sister's group saw like six.