The Galapagos - A 5 day cruise (Part 3)

after our visit, we headed to devil's crown to snorkel - this was definitely my favourite snorkeling spot!  we saw the usual suspects (turtles, sharks, etc..) and i had a sea lion swim right next to me for a couple of meters which was awesome but for me, the clincher was the quantity and range of fish and coral!  the crown is made from a volcano which eroded over a multitude of years, leaving a circle of rocks and coral which make a great home for fish and other sea creatures. it was shallow in some spots and deep in others with a little cave to see the fish through, adding to the interest and the variety of fish to view.  truly, it was an amazing snorkeling spot! 

after snorkeling, we heading to cormorant point on floreana as well to see the flamingo lagoon. on our way over in the dinghy, we found some flamingos bobbing in the open water which is very unusual! we landed on the island and right away, we got to see some blue-footed boobies which i'd really wanted to see!  in fact, because it was spring, we also got to see some juveniles who haven't yet gotten their blue feet or blue beak which was also awesome to see.  we continued wandering around the island and saw some nazcar boobies nesting with their eggs which was awesome - i was within 2-3m of these birds and they were completely unfazed! 

we motored to isla santa cruz and anchored at puerto ayora which is where we'll spend the night.  we have shore leave this evening and it's amazing how excited we all are to leave the boat - it made me appreciate how hard life must be for the crew as they do 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off! 

our last day in the galapagos involved heading to the galapagos tortoise conservation area to learn about the tortoises and see them in captivity.  the conservation team is breeding them in captivity and then they'll be released into the wild when they're old enough to survive on their own. there were so many tortoises and the ones from the different islands have adapted to their own habitats as postulated by darwin so many years ago. 

after the centre, we caught a taxi to the ferry and then waited for an airport shuttle in the heat with everyone else before i finally boarded my plane to quito. the whole experience was a bit jarring after having spent a couple of days on a small ship, surrounded by nature and beautiful scenery.     

Virus-free. www.avg.com