Hola Mounties! Welcome back to another #MountMartes blog post. I hope everyone had a great spring break; I know mine was amazing. This past week, we had the privilege of visiting the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos is home to 13 main islands, each with its own biodiversity and geography. We stayed on Santa Cruz Island, which was a quiet beach town with an inlet, beautiful ocean views, and the best ice cream parlor in the Galapagos. On our first day, we visited the Charles Darwin Museum and got to see tons of different tortoises. We saw everything from week old babies to 100-year old tortoises. We even saw the famous Lonesome George tortoise who is held in the Charles Darwin Museum.
On our second day in the Galapagos, we took about an hour and a half hike to Tortuga Bay Beach, where we were able to enjoy the clear blue ocean and see some land iguanas that were soaking up some sun and swimming in the water. Tortuga Bay Beach was the coolest beach I have ever been on, as the sand felt like flour and was so soft. The experience was unreal to all of us.
The next two days were very similar, as we went for a hike through the island we were visiting, Isla Plaza Sur, where our hike was focused on seeing the various species of land iguanas on the island. We also saw a lot of sea lions and were able to get close to them and see how they interact with each other. It was so cool to be able to see the male sea lions swim between the groups looking for the dominant position. Afterward, we went snorkeling along a flat area of water. The biodiversity of the ocean was incredible. We saw so many different species like sharks, octopi, sea lions, stingrays, and tons of fish. One of the coolest things we saw on the first snorkeling trip was the octopi, as they camouflaged so easily, and we watched them transform to blend into the rocks right before our eyes.
The next day we went to Isla Seymour Norte. On this day, our hike was focused on the indigenous species of birds. The coolest birds we saw were the blue-footed boobies, who were sitting on top of their eggs, and their feet were such a bright blue color. During this hike, it got extremely hot, so we got to go back to the boat and go snorkeling twice. The waves were a lot rougher and more difficult to swim through, so it made for a more daring and adventurous swim. We saw tons more sharks and, later in the day, saw a sea turtle and were able to get so close to it. Its back looked almost green and yellow tie-dye, and it just kept swimming along with us. This experience was one of the best in my life, and it was so amazing to be able to swim in the ocean with all the wildlife.
I hope you enjoyed my blog post about the Galapagos islands and that you come back next week for another adventure in Cuenca, Ecuador. The trip is halfway over, but we still have a lot more planned! Look out for Tyler’s spring break adventures on Thursday!
