I finally made to the the 'living museum' of the Galapagos Islands.
My excitement peaks as the islands come into view.
After flying over open ocean for about 600 miles, I finally spied the islands of the Galapagos archipelago. I was glued to the window. Through breaks in the clouds I could small islands jutting up from the depths. Small white expedition or dive ships were anchored nearby. Pretty soon I was going to be on one of those ships, called La Pinta.
La Pinta is a luxury expedition ship, fit to accamodate 48 guests with 32 crew. It plies the waters of the Galapagos all year round, so its crew knows the islands like the back of the hands. All of the crew are Ecuadorians, with many actually being from the 30,000 or so residents of the Galapagos islands themselves.
First view of La Pinta, our home for the next 6 days.
Loading the panga
We were greeted at the airport and escorted to the small dock. It was only a 5 minute drive through a very arid landscape. There were things growing, but 'barren' would be a term thrown around to describe it. Once we were at the water, though, the islands seem to come alive. Frigatebirds were diving around the boats. Small brown noddies (another deep ocean sea-bird) flitted about. And a mom and baby Galapagos sea lion lay on the dock, suckling. We literally had to walk around them on our way to the zodiac, or 'panga' as they are called here.
Once onboard La Pinta I wasted no time exploring and getting the lay of the land. We had the next 6 days to explore from sunup till sundown. The itinerary here is very strict. So we knew where we were going, what we were doing, and a lot of times we even knew what wildlife we would see at each stop. In typical expedition cruising fashion it is adventure all day, and wine-and-dine when back onboard. I was up for the adventure and ready to explore this living museum of the Galapagos Islands.
Stepping around the local wildlife.
Officially stepping foot onto the island of Baltra, Galapagos.
At the equator it can be hard to find the right time for a hot soak, but I was up for the challenge.
Getting our photos and being checked into our rooms.
My digs for the week.
Bar of La Pinta. All included when you travel with UnCruise.
Our ship in all her glory.
We had coastal explorations in these pangas, we had hikes along the shorelines, we visited giant tortoises up in the highlands, went kayaking, and had several snorkeling opportunities as well.
More to come on the wildlife and adventures of the amazing Galapagos Islands.