Galápagos Islands Jan Plan Trip

What a change 45 degrees of latitude makes.  We left the short-sleeve weather of Quito to face winter’s frigid blasts here in New England.

The return trip was arduous.  Because we had to reschedule our flights, we could not find enough empty seats on a single flight for everyone in the class to return at the same time.  So, seven students and I took an early flight, arriving at the Quito airport at 4:30 AM.  The two legs of the trip went smoothly.  We did have to negotiate rush-hour traffic in Boston but managed to arrive at Colby by 9:30 PM.

The second group did not fare as well.  The 10:35 flight from Quito to Miami was on-time but a leak on the plane caused the plane to sit on the tarmac for over two hours before finally being cleared to take off.  Those students and Sarah did not arrive in Waterville until well-past 3:00 AM.

So our trip had bookends of long, trying travel.  The time between though was incredibly wonderful!

Our last day in Quito was varied and relaxed. At 9 AM, we walked to the Botanical Garden for a tour of the grounds and greenhouses. The orchids and the carnivorous plants were big hits.

We were lucky that a traveling exhibit on fishes of the Amazon was being housed at the garden. A number of fish were on display including piranhas (including one vegetarian species pictured below), several catfish and freshwater rays.

We next walked to the Vivarium to see some of the amphibians and reptiles of Ecuador. Many students jumped at the chance to hold a 10′ boa constrictor (held here by our tour guide).

The next stop was the excellent National Museum where we concentrated on archaeological artifacts. A nice model of the Cochasqui pyramids we visited yesterday was on display.

After a picnic lunch, we drove north to el Mitad del Mundo (the middle of the world). We all took photographs of each other straddling the northern and southern hemisphere.

The farewell dinner tonight will be our last planned activity on our Ecuador excursion.

We arrived back at the IES Abroad offices at 8 PM after a varied 13-hour excursion north of Quito.  Departing at 7 AM, our first stop was an important  archaeological site called Cochasqui.   The Caranqui people built a series of flat-topped pyramids here, some of which are in reasonable shape.  These pyramids pre-date the Incan culture.

Next we stopped at a local restaurant for a late breakfast.  The restaurant featured a local bread called bischotos, served with cheese.  The coffee, tea and hot chocolate were excellent as well.

Then, it was on to the market at Otavalo.  On  Saturdays, the roads through the center of town are closed to traffic so even more vendors can crowd into the market.  The diversity of crafts and foods was amazing.  Collectively, we made a significant contribution to the Ecuadorian GNP!

The next stop was a wonderful lunch in the nearby town of Cotacachi.  From there we drove to Laguna Cuicocha, a large lake that fills the crater of the Cotacachi volcano.  Three islands in the center of the lake are actually dormant volcanic cones that rise above the deep water.  The water here is relatively warm (62 degrees Fahrenheit) because of the heat being generated from below the lake by magma.  Andean Coots were very common along the shoreline.  We all took a 30-minute cruise around the lake with an informative guide who explained the formation of the crater and the lake.  We then hopped on the bus and came back to Quito.

Where did the time go?  It’s hard to believe today is our sixth day on the Galapagos.  We boarded a bus for the dock in Puerto Villamil at 7 AM, hopped into water taxis to two bigger boats, rode for 2.5 hours to Puerto Ayora.  Water taxis took us to the dock where a bus picked us up for the ride to the north end of Santa Cruz island.  We got on a short ferry to the adjacent island of Baltra where an airport is located.  We saw two Land Iguanas there, the only ones we saw on the trip. (The one pictured is underneath a parked truck!) We arrived by bus in plenty of time to make our flight on AeroGal airlines to Quito.  Students were met at the Quito airport by their home-stay families.  Lots of different kinds of public transportation today.

Tomorrow, we are off the large artisanal market in Otavalo.

On Thursday, we had a wonderful day on Isabela. After a hearty breakfast, we boarded an open-air bus for a 45-minute ride to the trail head for our hike to Sierra Negra, one of five massive volcanoes on Isabela.

After about two miles, we got our first view of the caldera. The caldera is roughly circular, about 7 miles across. A lava flow from 2005 was easy to see. The black lava contrasted with the green vegetation adjacent to the flow that had been spared.

We continued our hike for another two miles to a trail for Volcan Chico. This volcano is a parasitic volcano, developing from the east side of Sierra Negra. That trail descended and the ascended to the top of Volcan Chico. Another two-mile hike.

The views were spectacular. Three other volcanoes could be seen along with the islands of Rabida, Santiago and Fernandina. Many fumaroles were present along with spectacular yellow, orange and sulfur deposits.

Botanical highlights included Galapagos Tree Fern, Soapberry, Galapagos Mistletoe, Cat’s Claw (pictured) and Galapagos Cotton.  No reptiles were seen but we did see several good species of birds including Yelow Warbler (pictured), Vermilion Flycatcher, Small Tree Finch and Galapagos Martin.

We made good time on the return trip, arriving back at the bus by 2 PM.  The overall hike of 12 miles took us 5.5 hours.  Hungry and tired, we drove to a lovely hacienda for a delightful buffet lunch.  We had a little time back in Puerto Villamil before dinner.  Some students went to the local beach, shared with Galapagos sea lions.

We left Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz at 7:30 this morning for a 2.5-hour cruise to Isabela.  The seas were relatively calm and no one experienced any seasickness.

The south end of Isabela has a quite different appearance than the other islands we have visited.  This area receives a bit more rain than most islands and the vegetation is distinctly greener.  The ocean water is the blue-green.

As we were waiting for our luggage to be unloaded, we watched several Galápagos Penguins chasing fish adjacent to the dock.  A nice welcome to the island.  Several Lava Gulls and lots of Blue-footed Boobies added some variety.

After getting settled in our hotel, we returned to the dock for a short boat ride to a large marine iguana colony.  Large males were aggressively warding off other males with distinctive head bobs.  We also saw many Galápagos sea lions, including many quite young ones.  We saw Galápagos Penguins and Blue-footed Boobies as well.

We then motored to a protected embayment for snorkeling.  Sightings included several white-tip sharks, sting rays, black sea turtles, an octopus and a variety of bony fishes.

After a late lunch at the Oasis Restaurant, we boarded a bus to a local tortoise rearing facility.  This institution is important in maintaining the populations of the five distinctive tortoises on Isabela.  High mortality of tortoise eggs and their young occurs on Isabela, primarily because of the impact of introduced species (ants, rats, dogs, pigs and goats).  At this breeding institution, eggs are incubated until hatching and the young tortoises are raised to the age of 10 years before being reintroduced to the part of the island where they were from.

From the breeding facility, we took a walk through some wooded areas and alongside a saltwater pond system.  Three American Flamingos were spectacular.  Other birds seen included a couple of Common Moorhens, several Whimbrels and a couple of White-cheeked Pintails.  Fiddler crabs were common in sandy areas with males waving their one out-sized claw to attract a female.

We walked all the way back to the hotel, gathering again at 7:30 at the Oasis Restaurant for a hearty meal of  a vegetable soup followed by a main course of swordfish, rice and fried plaintains, finished off with flan.

Today’s activities centered around a cruise to the extremely arid island of Bartholomé, a small island adjacent to Santiago.  We hired two boats to transport us there.  One boat was slower so half of us began our trip at 5 AM this morning.  The rest of the class started at 6 AM.

The cruise took about 3 hours on the slow boat.  Once there, we climbed Bartholomé for spectacular views of Santiago and the beautiful ocean. We saw lots of evidence of volcanic activity: lava flows, cinder cones, ash everywhere.  The soil is very poor here and only a few hearty plants can make it in this habitat.  One is the gray matplant that occurs in regular, sparse concentrations.  The soil resources and water are so scarce that each plant needs a significant area to send out roots.  The lava cactus is the first species to colonize such volcanic habitats in the Galápagos.  Both species of plants are endemic to the Galápagos.

On the boat ride, we saw many pelagic birds including Nazca Boobies, Blue-footed Boobies, Red-necked Phalaropes, Galápagos Shearwaters, Eliot’s Storm-Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbirds.  A probable Bryde’s Whale put in an all-too-brief appearance.  A pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins rode our bow wave for a while, always a treat.  Manta Rays were jumping out of the water for much of the morning cruise.

Along the shores we saw Swallow-tailed Gulls and Lava Herons.  A few American Oystercatchers with their long red bills and striking black and white colors added some contrast to the gray rocks.  A few people got to see the Galápagos Hawk and Galápagos Penguins.

We also went snorkeling at the base of Pinnacle Rock.  A diversity of fish was a real treat and a few students got to swim with Galápagos Penguins.

Tomorrow, we sail in the morning for the island of Isabela.

We left Quito on yesterday morning arriving at San Cristóbal Airport around noon local time (one hour earlier than EST).   After clearing inspections, we were spirited off to our hotel (Paradiaso Insular) to unpack.  A nice lunch at The Playa Restaurant was followed by a long walk where we saw many Galápagos sea lions, a few marine iguanas and lots of seabirds flying right through the town.  We visited the interpretative center at GAIAS, a research institution.  From there, we walked through the arid woodland to the height of land for a great view.  On the way back, we stopped at a rocky shore and went snorkeling.  Some students were able to swim with sea lions and a sea turtle.  Back to the La Playa for dinner and then to bed for an early start.

At 6 AM this morning, we went to breakfast and then boarded two boats for the 2-3 hour cruise to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz.  The ride was a bit rough but we all arrived in reasonably good shape.  After checking into the Mainao Hotel, we toured the Charles Darwin Research Institution to see the captive breeding program and to admire Lonesome George, the last of his kind.

After lunch, we boarded a bus and visited the highlands of Santa Cruz.  We stopped at Los Hemolos (the twins), two large depressions caused by the release of volcanic gases.  The forest is dominated by the plant, Scalesia, a 40-foot tall member of the daisy family!  We also saw Small-billed Ground-Finches (pictured), Galápagos Doves (pictured) and a Dark-billed Cuckoo.

Next we went through a lava tunnel, mostly greater than 10-feet high in most cases although we did have to do a belly crawl for a couple of yards in one place.  Along the way, we saw a couple of Galápagos Tortoises.  We saw many more tortoises close by at the Ranch Primacia, a private turtle preserve. Ice cream at the gift shop afterward hit the spot.  Back to town for a dinner at El Restaurante Chocolate (and yes the chocolate dessert was excellent!).

Tomorrow, we are up early to depart at 5 AM or 6 AM for Bartholomé, a 2-3 hour boat ride north of Santa Cruz.

We convened at the IES Abroad Center at 9 AM for an orientation session.  Dr. Eduardo Ortiz started with a general introduction to the IES Abroad approach to education, namely combining academic rigor with immersion in a new culture.   Gladys Argoti talked about home stays and Ecuadorian customs.

The latter part of the morning was filled by a talk by Dr. Fernando Ortega, a public health professor, on medical concerns.  Dr. Diego Quiroga, an anthropologist, gave us a far-ranging talk on the human history of Ecuador with comments on the animals and plants scattered throughout.  He ended with a discussion of the political changes, especially presidential changes, of the past 40 years.

We jumped in taxis and went to the Stubel Café for an exceptional lunch.  The view from the restaurant is spectacular.  Fortified, we went back to the center for a brief internet session in the computer lab and then got on a bus for a tour of the central part of Quito.   This tour was lead by Julio Riva, a local historian and an enthusiastic champion of Quito.  We visited two churches (La Compania de Jesus and Santo Domingo), learned how to tell the difference among French, Spanish and Moorish balconies and climbed two towers for spectacular views of the city.  Dinner at a downtown restaurant, Mea Culpa, capped off a busy but delightful day.  Tomorrow, we’re off to the Galápagos!

Our flight from Miami to Quito was right on time.  It took us about an hour to clear customs.  When we exited the terminal, two of the IES Abroad directors met us along with the host families.   Each host family identified their student(s), welcomed them warmly and took them away for a well-earned good night’s sleep.   We will have an orientation session later this morning and a tour of the city in the afternoon into the evening.  We’ll leave for the Galápagos on Sunday morning.