Ecuador, Galápagos, Santa Cruz Island

Now roaming in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador 🇪🇨!

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago chain of islands off the coast of Ecuador. Like Hawai’i, they were created over millions of years as volcanoes erupted and the tectonic plates shifted forming large land masses surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. 

After our change of plans due to the political unrest in Peru, we added a few extra days in the Galápagos Islands. We stayed near the harbor in Puerto Ayora which is on Santa Cruz Island.  

We didn’t have any prearranged tours for these extra days, so we literally roamed around to see what we could find. 

We visited a local fish market where wildlife and tourists stand side by side watching the fish mongers prep the day’s catch. 

We also visited the Charles Darwin Research Station where our guide educated us on the history and wildlife of the Galápagos and saw the most famous of the islands’ tortoises, Lonesome George. George was the last member of his species who sadly died about 10 years go. His body is now on display in a climate controlled exhibit within the facility. 

Boy, is it hot here!  The temperature itself is always around 27° C / 80° F, but the humidity and the intense sun made the afternoons unbearable. So, we followed the script we used in the Amazon and went out in the mornings and then retreated to our hotel after lunch to cool down until late afternoon as the sun started to set and the temperature dropped to a more manageable number. 

We rented a taxi to take us to an area higher in elevation in the middle of the island to El Chato Ranch to walk amongst the giant tortoises where they live and roam freely. Seeing these large creatures up close was a great experience not to be missed if you come to Galápagos. 

We also walked a nature path around two giant sinkholes and explored lava tubes created millions of years ago when this island’s volcanoes were still active. 

We were told to make sure we tried the Brujo fish. Brujo is a scorpionfish and it was delicious. We tried it at Bahia Mar. Great atmosphere, on the water with delicious food. It was a great close to our stay on Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos. 

Thanks for following. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel and share it with your friends. We appreciate you!