First Day In Galapagos

Our last very early start for a few days. Even though it was a 7am domestic flight we still gave ourselves almost 2 hours. Just as a well, as despite having already checked in we were told we had to join a queue of 30 people to pay for an entry card to the Islands. Then get our bags scanned and have a zip tag added. Then to a terminal to go through half the check in again to get our luggage tags printed. The whole process took about 45 mins and it certainly woke us up, not used to thinking at this time of the morning.

We landed on Baltra, an island without too much other than the airport. So this meant a bus to the harbourside, a ferry across the channel to Santa Cruz and then a taxi to the other end of the island, Puerto Ayora.

We spent the afternoon going round several places selling tours, to book a few trips up for the coming days. I'd read it was significantly cheaper booking on the island than doing so before you went. You do risk trips being booked up, but fortunately we didn't really find that and were able to save about 40% based on the online prices we'd seen.

Then afterwards we walked to the Charles Darwin Research Station, a conservation facility looking at various issues affecting the Islands. They have a giant tortoise breeding programme but when we got there were told that you needed to have organised a guide to actually go and see them. Disappointing, but hopefully there will be other opportunities to see them elsewhere.Read more