On day four we took an afternoon nap … and wondered why we did not take naps on days two and three. I also wondered how in the hell the older folks were able to keep up with two nature walks and two snorkeling sessions most days.
Here is our daily schedule:
6:45 AM. Our alarm goes off, and promptly gets snoozed. It cannot be time to get up yet.
6:50 AM. I hop out of bed with the goal of drinking a cup of coffee before breakfast.
7:00 AM. Breakfast is served at the buffet. I manage to drink two or three small cups of coffee. Afterwards we get ready for the morning nature walk, gather cameras and backpacks, and fill water bottles. Hopefully yesterday’s wet clothes dried overnight.
7:20 AM. Stephanie finally gets up. She is not a morning person. Everyone on the boat is aware of this.
8:00 AM. Our group of 12 boards two zodiacs and heads to land. Our naturalist leads us on a walk that takes about 90 minutes. He points out mammals, birds, flora, and geology along the way.
10:00 AM. Back to the Archipel via the zodiacs, where a drink and snack are waiting. The morning snack is usually a fruit drink and chips. We prepare for the morning snorkeling session, which for me means changing shorts and grabbing the waterproof camera. Snorkeling gear was provided for us. A few folks brought their own mask and snorkel.
10:30 AM. Get on a zodiac for a short trip to the designated snorkeling area. Our naturalist generally tells us what path we will take in the water. We snorkel for about an hour. The water is nice, not cold. It is warm water season in the Galapagos (the surface water is in the mid-70s F). Wetsuits are not necessary.
11:30 AM. We climb out of the sea into a zodiac and return to the Archipel. It is time to dry off and change clothes.
12:00 PM. Lunch is served at the buffet, followed by dessert. After lunch we have free time for an hour or two. This time is spent downloading photos, talking with other travelers, hanging up wet clothes to dry, or taking a short nap.
I attack the tray of cookies and candies sitting on the table in the lounge area.
1:45 PM. Our afternoon alarm goes off, in case we fell asleep after lunch. It is time to refill water bottles and get ready for the afternoon nature walk.
2:00 PM. Hop on a zodiac for short ride back to the day’s island, though in a different location from the morning. We take another 90 minute nature walk.
4:00 PM. The zodiacs are summoned and return us to the Archipel. If you are keeping count, this is the sixth zodiac ride of the day. Now we prepare for the afternoon snorkeling session, i.e. put on a wet bathing suit and grab the waterproof camera.
4:30 PM. Zodiac again. Off to the designated snorkeling area where we snorkel for about an hour.
5:30 PM. We manage to haul ourselves back into a zodiac and return to the Archipel. A drink and snack are waiting. In the afternoon this is usually a tea based drink and light appetizer (such as pigs in the blanket, small empanadas, or a fruit tray).
It is again time to get out of wet clothes and back into dry clothes. A trip is made upstairs to the sun deck to hang wet clothes out to dry.
5:45 PM. Now dry and in clean clothes, everyone inevitably gathers in lounge area to talk and maybe grab a beer.
At some point during this hour Terry is told by his wife to quit talking about Ohio State football. The guys don’t mind college football talk, but Terry obliges his wife. Stephanie gives me a looks that says “do not start a college football conversation.” I keep my mouth shut.
The tray of cookies and candies was replenished during the afternoon. I attack it again.
6:45 PM. The daily briefing with our naturalist is held. Basically we are told what to expect the next day.
7:00 PM. Dinner is served at the buffet. Exhausted we stumble the 10 feet from the couches in the lounge area to the dining area for heaping plates of food, and dessert.
8:00 PM. Dinner winds down and folks begin to head to their cabins for the night. We take a motion sickness tablet and plug in camera batteries to recharge.
9:00 PM. Lights out, if not earlier. We are exhausted and sleep very, very soundly.
A trip to the Galapagos Islands sounds like a relaxing and peaceful trip. Not quite. The schedule is grueling. By day five many people were skipping one of the four daily activities to rest up, usually the afternoon snorkel. Only a few of us managed to attend every activity.
About these twice daily nature “walks”. They ranged from one to almost three miles. Sometimes we were on a well maintained dirt trail. Other times it was loose sand, or on a beach. But a few times we found ourselves walking, hopping, and scrambling over medium and large sized rocks (think basketball to coffee table size), or going up and down steep inclines.
I’m not talking about walking over rocks for a short stretch either. Twice it was nearly the entire mile plus long trail. Personally the rocks did not bother me. I was comfortable moving over them. In fact, I found the rocks easier than some of the soft sand.
Others, however, were not so fortunate. Luckily only a few people stumbled and no ankles were broken. Bruised and bleeding knees were not uncommon.
As the Galapagos Islands are near the equator, the daily temperatures do not vary much. During our trip in March the temperature ranged from a low of about 75° F to a high near 80° F. Not bad, except there is no shade on these walks – just the blazing sun.
During our afternoon walk on day six, at Suarez Point on Isla Española (this “walk” was all rocks and full sun), one in our group overheated early on. She was not looking or feeling so great. Our naturalist used his short wave radio to call the Archipel, and a crew member hustled over with a small cooler of water and a bag of ice. Kudos to all for acting quickly.
I’m not going to lie – the rest of us were grateful for having extra water and ice brought to the group. Especially the ice. Thankfully everyone was civilized and did not fight over the ice. It was really hot out.
After our overheated traveler recovered, we continued our walk on Suarez Point. Near the end of the trail another group from a different boat straggled past us heading in the opposite direction. That group was just starting the walk and already had two folks down and out from the heat.
Our naturalist later told us that once he had seven people (from one group of 16) go down in the heat during an afternoon walk. He had to call for seven stretchers to get the folks back to the boat. This happened years ago on a different boat – not the Archipel.
It’s one thing to be unprepared for rock hopping, but not carrying plenty of water is near inexcusable. The reality is that you better be prepared to hike over two miles in the heat with zero shade on the islands.
I’d recommend wearing lightweight loose clothing, preferably synthetic materials, not cotton. We wore both long and short sleeve shirts at various times, and long pants once or twice. Also mandatory are sunglasses, a hat, plenty of sunscreen, and water bottles.
Cameras, binoculars, backpacks, and hiking poles are optional. Most folks had cameras and small day packs.
Even though it was rainy season, we were caught out in the rain only twice during the week. It rained during our very first morning walk on Isla Genovesa. I could not believe it. I was sure that our trip was cursed.
The second time it rained (and it really poured) was on our last afternoon, on the beach on Isla de San Cristóbal. By that time the rain was a blessing, and I enjoyed it.
Previously we covered our time at Mosquera Islet, Isla Genovesa, Isla Bartolomé, and Sullivan Bay. In next week’s post we will finish up our one week tour of the Galapagos Islands with Isla Santa Cruz, Isla Floreana, Isla Española, and Isla de San Cristóbal, including snorkeling with sea turtles and close encounters with sea lions.
Garrett and Stephanie
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Great descriptions – fun to read! I’m really surprised that the temperatures were so moderate at the Equator! Always assumed it was much hotter.
Thanks for the trip!
Great pics and comments. I’m with Stephanie…not a morning person!!