Galapagos Islands, Ecuador by Kev part 1

16.9.2025. We arrived! It felt like it took forever, but that's not true. I already covered the first day in a previous blog, so that's it for today.
17.9.2025. School work!! Kids are super excited! After that we went out and booked a tour for tomorrow, then found a supermarket and got some supplies. In the afternoon we stopped at a little beach and Mel and the kids had a swim. The kids practiced snorkeling for tomorrow. Afterwards we walked along the front again, stopping at a bar for a local made stout and a few games. We wandered back home and had dinner.
18.9.2025. Today we're off heading out on a tour. We don't really like tours, but there's not much we can do about it here. You need the gear and a boat to get where you want to go, so that's it. The sales lady told us we would be getting a two stop tour. First stop would be to do a hike on Santa Cruz, followed by snorkeling at Santa Fe island. Well that didn't happen. The boat took us straight out to Santa Fe, where we did three different snorkeling locations. The first spot we dove, we saw lots of fish. Schools amongst the rocks on the bottom. Some sea stars and bigger fish. Emma freaked out a bit, which is kinda understandable for a 9yo. She did not like the flippers and wanted to get rid of them, saying they are too heavy. Going from practicing in half a metre of water to proper snorkeling in 3-4 metres of water is a big step. I'm happy that she stayed in the water with me as long as she was holding onto me. We had wetsuits on, but it was still cold. After 10-15 mins or so, Mel took Andrew back as he was shivering badly. He missed the bigger schools of fish, though I don't think he cared. Emma stuck it out with me a bit longer, though she took some convincing. She finally got me to take her back to the boat, and when I returned to the group it was time to go back. Apparently I missed the only shark we saw, oh well. Back on the boat they had tea and coffee waiting and some snacks. We tried to move to the next spot, but one of the anchors was stuck. A couple of the guys were diving down to “unstuck” it. Took a few minutes but we got moving again. Our next stop was in a small area with a few sea lions. The kids chose not to go back in this time and stayed in the boat. We got close to some of the sea lions, the big males are a bit intimidating and they move so fast in the water. It was fun to see them swim around us and one had a playful chew on the guide's flippers. We saw more fish and some choral. When we hopped out they had lunch ready for us. Fish in a creamy sauce with salad and rice. We moved over to what would be our last stop. Here we would see sea turtles, maybe sea lions and possibly sharks. After a small amount of convincing, the kids got their gear on again and came in with us. Andrew said he didn't like the flippers, they make it hard to swim. You wouldn't think so after seeing him swim back to the boat when he'd had enough of the cold again. He was like a human torpedo. He lasted a bit longer this time and got to see a few turtles. Emma stuck it out with me for the whole time. She was more comfortable this time, but still wouldn't let me go. Once again, understandable for a 9yo with little to no experience in snorkeling. Andrew was fine, he seemed perfectly capable of snorkeling by himself. He just doesn't do cold for long. After that we went back out into the open water for a bit and trolled some lures. Their aim was to catch something for tomorrow's group to eat. That didn't happen, nothing hit a lure. We then made the trip back to Santa Cruz. We walked back to the tour operator and dropped off our wetsuits. Mel talked with the lady and said that we didn't get the tour she had offered us. There was no hike, just snorkeling. The lady seemed to be taken aback, but what other reaction was she going to give us? They said they would talk with the tour group, but that won't help us. We had a really good day, but it wasn't what we were supposed to be doing all day. We have since decided we won't be back to that operator for more tours. We were all stuffed. Hot showers all round when we got back. I cooked some dinner and we went straight to bed.
19.9.2025. I ran out to get some eggs and bread for breakfast, then schoolwork for the kids. Since we were sick of looking at the walls in our room, we headed out for a look around. We were planning on booking a few more tours, and we had seen a local place advertising tours the day before. It had been closed that day but was open now. We went in and we're greeted by Andreas. We learnt that he was a local to the Galapagos and had been a tour guide for 20 years before starting his own company. He had videos and photos of his tours to show us and organised a three day itinerary for us. Five tours all up(one a small one to a tortoise breeding facility here on Santa Cruz), two islands and all ferry tickets included. Plus a hotel with breakfast for two nights on Isabella island. We could not have done it better, or cheaper, ourselves. We were happy with the outcome and are looking forward to our first tour, the tortoise breeding facility, this afternoon. We went back to our stay and made some lunch. We met Andreas later at the tortoise centre and went in. He gave us some background info on the Galapagos and Charles Darwin. We learnt of the two types of cactus here, the prickly pear and the candelabra. We can tell the difference now. He went on to tell us how introduced species, and people have been the worst thing for the Galapagos and its tortoises. Introduced rats and cats eat the young tortoises. Pigs dig up the nests for the eggs and goats had to be culled as they ate everything, there was no food left for the tortoises. We went into the centre where we saw tortoises of lots of different ages. They go out and find the new nests, did up the eggs and bring them back here to hatch. When the tortoises are 6-7 years old, their shells are hard enough to withstand the rats and cats, so that when they release them. We got to see some tortoises that were very small, only a year or two old. There were some that were very big, saddle back tortoises. These ones were here because at one point they were either hurt or were pets and couldn't look after themselves in the wild. So they'll spend their lives in the centre. Andreas told us they are already 100-150 years old, and they can live to around 200. They have some time here. He mentioned that, since tortoises are so long lived, that if a released tortoise has a long healthy life, they will surely outlive the people that cared for them. You end the tour by visiting lonesome George, the last tortoise of his kind from Pinta island. The belief is that these tortoises were hunted to extinction. Lonesome George was found on Pinta island in 1971, and was brought to Santa Cruz. No other member of the species could be found, so the species died with him in 2012. He was taken and taxidermied, to be brought back and put on display as a reminder. It is a sad way to end a tour. It's also a reminder of our ability to completely ruin something without thinking of the repercussions. After this we said goodbye to Andreas, and had a walk through the Charles Darwin centre. A small museum with a gift shop! As they don't get any funding from the government, we bought a couple things as the proceeds go to help keep the place open. After our visit we walked back along the shore front. We found a bar, the Santa Cruz brewery, with local made beers. I had a porter with vanilla, ok but not the best. Mel had a white stout. Dunno how they did that but it was good. Mel only gave me a small taste. After that we walked back to our stay, then headed to a small restaurant a couple of blocks away. The food was delicious. Andrew got ribs, and when they came out his eyes nearly popped out. I don't think he has ever had that much meat on his plate. I had a mixed skewer, prawn and fish on it along with some onion and capsicum. Some chips and a pile of rice. A nice spicy creamy sauce and salad. We had, I think, our best feed on the island so far(including what I cooked).
20.9.2025. Today we're off again with Andreas. This time we're going for a drive to a tortoise farm. Originally they had wanted to farm other things, but there was a problem. The tortoises. They wanted to get rid of them, but according to Andreas, the local government said no. Look after the turtles and we'll advertise for tourists to come and see them. Well it must be popular because Andreas says they are buying the property next to them and opening the tortoise farm further. During our walk we got pretty close to some huge tortoises. They scare easily and hide themselves away in their shell. You hear a hissing sound. They collapse their lungs to allow their head and front legs to get further into their shell. One of them did it 4-5 times while we were close by. I figured we better move on so this guy can catch his breath. We walked until we came across some lava tunnels. We then entered some tunnels through where they had collapsed. Once we were finished with the tunnel and tortoises, we headed back and checked out the gift shop. Yep a gift shop, they are everywhere. Mel grabbed a tortoise magnet and some old Ecuadorian money for Andrew, then onto the next thing. Andreas took us to what they call the “twin brothers”. Two craters formed by volcanoes and lava millions of years ago. We walked around the first, then crossed the road and walked around the other. It's pretty thick forest, so I can imagine coming across these huge holes in the ground would be a surprise. After that we got dropped back at our stay. We grabbed a couple of things for dinner from the shop and had a lazy evening while I cooked dinner.
21.9.2025. Today we blogged, lazed about and gave each other crap. People were starting to get hungry so we headed out for a walk. We stuck to the back streets a bit, heading towards a place I found the other day. It's closed, oh well. We kept walking and found a small place that just had a couple of locals eating. Eh, why not? Simple yet well cooked food. They didn't have a vegetarian option, but looked after Mel by making them a salad with lettuce, red onion and avocado. Apparently it was pretty good. We had food and grabbed a beer. Once finished we thanked them and kept on walking. We came out onto the end of the shore front and went out onto the piers for another look. We then stopped for icecream before heading back towards our stay. We stopped on the way, there's this old fella here selling something out of his push bike on the side of the road. When I saw it was cakes, I thought why not? We grabbed a banana cake, which seemed to make him pretty happy. Once back, dinner was had and cake for dessert. Early to bed as we're up early tomorrow to catch a ferry.
22.9.2025. Up early and off to the jetty in town to catch a ferry to Isabella island. Two hours later we were at our destination. We met up with a tour guide Andreas had organised for us. With the guide and some more people, we got back onto a smaller boat and headed out for our first tour. I know we have said we don't like tours and we like to do things ourselves. That is harder here in the Galapagos. You can't enter a national park without a guide and while you can snorkel at some places, the best places need a boat to get to. We took a short boat ride and spotted some blue footed boobies on the way. We stopped and hopped off on another part of the island for a walk around. We saw some iguanas and were told about some of the different types of rock and algae. We walked past a shallow “crack” that had Galapagos sharks sleeping in it, 26 we counted. The walk continued until we got back to the boat where we hopped back on. We then slipped into our wetsuits and went snorkeling. Emma once again wasn't happy when she first got in, but I soon got her convinced to stay in with me. It was a bit warmer than our first trip, after the initial plunge it was pretty nice in the water. We snorkeled for around 45 mins. We saw lots of fish, turtles and some choral. Once Emma is in and looking at stuff she's perfectly ok. Though she didn't actually do any swimming herself, just hung onto me with one hand and got dragged along. It was nice to share that with her to be honest, and I was happy to have a big sucker fish clinging to my side. Once the snorkeling was done, we all hopped back in the boat and they took us back to the port. Where we hopped on a bus and headed into town for lunch. We got dropped at a small restaurant and had soup then a main. It was pretty good. After lunch we were all herded back onto the bus. I say bus, but it's really just a small truck with seats built in the back for tourists. This time we're off to another tortoise breeding facility. We had a tour through the place, checking out lots of different ages and sizes of tortoises. The same as the facility on Santa Cruz, this breeding centre is essential for the survival of the tortoises, since almost no tortoises survive after hatching because of introduced species such as rats and cats. They also had large, old tortoises. These ones would never be released as they were “pets” and would not be able to fend for themselves in the wild. Once we had concluded our tour, the bus dropped us at our hotel, “hostal” they call them here. We dropped our gear off and had a nice shower. After that we headed out to have a look around. There is more beach here, some people say Isabella island is the most beautiful island here in the Galapagos. We wandered a little bit, then found a small bar/restaurant right next to a playground in the sand. Mel and I sat and had a couple of drinks while the kids had a play. I tried a couple of beers brewed here on Isabella and Mel had a crack at a cocktail. It was nice after a day in the sun to sit and relax. By now it was getting dark and we were getting hungry. So we ordered food right where we were. Andrew tried octopus for the first time, cooked in a garlic sauce, he loved it. I got a massive pile of chicken and rice, which was delicious. Andrew gave Emma a try of his octopus, Em reckons the taste is good but not the texture. We walked back to our stay and hit the sack, getting picked up early for our next activity tomorrow morning.
23.9.2025. Our hotel stay comes with breakfast and a lady came knocking early to get us. The language barrier didn't stop us from understanding her meaning, “follow me”. We followed her to a small restaurant on the other end of the block. There was another lady there waiting for us. We got some chopped fruit, followed by toast and eggs. A cup of coffee and some juice. After that we went back to our stay where we got picked up at 7:30. Today we're off to Sierra Negra, a huge crater in the middle of Isabella island. Around 30mins in the back of the “bus” and we were at the starting point. It was cool and misty but we still put on some sunblock as the guide said it would get sunny at the top. We were all given a lunch bag with a sandwich, juice box, a mandarine, biscuits and some nuts. All this went into my backpack for later. We set off on our hike, 7klm to the top of the crater. It was nice going, there was a mist wafting down over us from the crater and everything around us was lush and green. As we got closer to the top, the sun poked out and it did indeed start to warm up. Jackets came off and hats went on. We reached a peak where we stopped for photos and a look around. We looked out across this massive crater, 10klm in diameter, green around the edges and black in the middle. Steam rising up from the side we had walked up along, my guess is that's why it's so green on the side. We didn't stop for long as we had more hiking to do, up to a covered area where we ate our fruit. Then down the other side of the crater to a smaller crater called “volcan Chico”, small volcano in the native tongue. This side has seen the most recent eruption, 2018 if I remember correctly. The crater doesn't erupt like an explosion, it sort of oozes lava out. The time it oozed out down the outside, the guide said Isabella island grew 2klm after that one. Here we started the next part of our hike, down the side towards volcano Chico. As you look around you see collapsed areas from many years ago and the newer part that is still very black. We walked past huge holes in the ground where gas blew out. The guide showed us different rocks and even stomped on the ground in one spot. We could hear it was hollow underneath and echoed. Hopefully that part wouldn't cave in on this day. We got to the end of the path, up a steepish climb to the top of a rock formation. The view was special, we could see all the volcanoes that made up Isabella island plus more. There were spots where the ground had cracked and blown up. The older lava flows were being reclaimed by growth, the newer still very black. Now it was time to head back. We made our way back across then up to the covered area to have our lunch. I walked over and had a pee in the bushes, on my way back I saw a spot with benches. This spot had the best view of the crater, dunno why the guide hadn't taken us there. There was a British guy walking around, I told him go over there the view is the best. We were getting short on time so we headed back. The walk seemed to take longer to get back then to get there in the first place, maybe because we were wearing out. The guide kept suggesting that maybe we didn't take the kids all the way, that maybe it would be too hard for them. I told him, don't worry about them, they'll do it better than you mate. I wasn't wrong, the kids had done harder tracks than this just maybe not quite as long. In the end they smashed it. We were all happy to get back on the bus and made our way back to town. We got dropped off our stay. Straight into the shower obviously, then rested and rehydrated a bit. Afterwards we went back down to the beachfront and had a walk out to the rocks and up a platform. The kids played in the sand and water, while Mel and I went and found a different place to have a drink. I don't normally go for cocktails, except a whiskey sour, those I like. Since this place didn't have any local beer, a cocktail it was for me. Something red in colour with 4 different shots in it, yeah that'll do. The kids eventually got bored playing with the water and came back to the playground equipment. Then came and annoyed us. Time for dinner I guess. We ordered food there, Andrew had octopus again, grilled this time, he says it's better. We ordered pizza, yep, pizza. We're on Isabella island in the Galapagos and we ordered pizza. It was pretty bloody well done actually, though they said something went wrong with our second pizza, which means burnt, so we had to wait a bit longer for it. As an apology we got offered another drink each. Oh alright then, if you insist. Emma and my pizza was the burnt/late one. As you could imagine, Emma was chewing on the table by now. Once it arrived it was gone. We headed back to our room and went to bed. It was a long but very enjoyable day
24.9.2025. Today we went straight to the little restaurant for breakfast, then headed back again to the hotel for pickup. Back into a bus and off to the pier. We got onto another boat and headed out for what the locals call the tunnels. A huge lava flows from millions of years ago. A lot of it has collapsed now, creating tunnels and bridges. Ideal for snorkeling and exploring. We made a quick stop on the way at a place called union rock. A pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere, that many animals use as a resting spot. There were pelicans, boobies, sea lions and even an iguana on the rocks. Once to our destination, we went straight into snorkeling. It was quite a bit shallower here in places and we had to slide over some rocks to get through. We saw puffer fish and sea slugs, a few sharks resting in tunnels and even a decent sized stingray. He took us into a mangrove area to try and see a seahorse. It was pretty murky and people disturbed the one seahorse that was found. Naturally it hid and most of the group didn't get to see it, Andrew did so he was something. The guy said several times not to touch the mangroves and just float, but as always, some people don't or can't listen. I have seen plenty of seahorses in aquariums, so I wasn't too disappointed. Still would have been cool to see one in the wild. We got out of the water and back onto the boat. Some warm tea, a few sandwiches and the worst tasting orange drink I have ever had was for lunch on the boat. Next stop was further inside some of the fallen down rocks, where we got out of the boat and saw some nesting blue footed boobies. We got to see a day old chick, it was so little. We then got dropped back at the pier, the guide said a bus was turning up soon. We're good mate, gonna stay here as we have to catch the ferry in an hour. There is a small “cafe” here, so we grabbed a coffee and a drink for the kids while we waited. Back onto the ferry and set off for Santa Cruz. Everyone fell asleep on the ferry. I was worried the kids would wake up spewing, but they were all good. Back on Santa Cruz, we dropped the wetsuits back to Andreas on our way to our stay. Showers, relax, dinner at home and movie night.
25.9.2025. We did pretty much nothing today. Kids blogged, I cooked a meal or two. We got some clothes washed. We walked around some of the backstreets but we always end up back on the beachfront. It was starting to get late so we walked back towards a restaurant near our stay. The one we already went to, with the ribs. Andrew and Emma shared one and I had one to myself. What a feed! We also grabbed a homemade drink from there, not knowing what it was. Turns out it had a lot of ginger and some Lemmon in it. Was bloody good. We saw our favourite dog again, Pies we call him. Just before we headed back I gave him a good pat, couldn't help myself. Off to bed, full as a goog.
26.9.2025. Today we're off to another island, San Cristobal. We are to meet Andreas over there and he's going to give us a tour around. The ferry took longer than it was supposed to as it was a bit rough. We met Andreas at the pier and hopped into his car. We were supposed to do a small hike to another crater that is filled with water and has great view. Unfortunately it was very cloudy and rainy at the top of the mountain, so we pressed on with another part of the tour. Maybe it will clear up on our way back. We stopped at a beach on the other side of the island and had a close look at some sea lions. Then a short walk up some rocks to get a really close look at some blue footed boobies. We got some photos then walked back to the car. We had to go bush, because a huge male sea lion was blocking the path. Next stop, another tortoise breeding centre. This one has a special meaning to Andreas. He was born and grew up on San Cristobal island. His father was the architect for the buildings in the breeding centre, and when he was old enough he volunteered at the centre before moving to Santa Cruz to become a guide. After the breeding centre we headed back over the mountain, it was still very rainy and cloudy, so we decided not to do the hike up to the crater. Which was a shame but we wouldn't have seen anything anyway. Next we got dropped off for lunch. Soup and a main, with a drink, for $6. It was already paid for in the tour, but this is the kind of place you look for when you're here. Good Ecuadorian food at a good price. And it was good food. The kids didn't manage to finish all theirs so dad to the rescue. Full as a goog again. Andreas left us there to drop off the car and would meet us again at the ferry. We had a walk along the shore front and watched two small sea lions playing with each other in the shallows. We got back on the ferry and went back to Santa Cruz. We had been told there was a lobster festival finishing tonight, with floats and dancers and they would crown Miss lobster 2025. Or something like that. This was the most people I had seen in Santa Cruz so far, it was packed. We watched the parade then had a look around. We had hoped there would be some street food available but I couldn't find any. We went back and I made pasta for dinner.

End of part 1 as there is a limit of words per blog. Part 2 of Kev's blog will be in the kids' blog.Read more