Aboard National Geographic Islander - Galapagos, June 2015

Hi Folks in Internet Land and Water,

Joanne & Richard explore Galapagos

Perhaps you have googled your way here in hopes of locating useful information about  the NationalGeographic Islander expeditions in the Galapagos.  My wife Joanne and I booked a ten-day trip on the Islander in June 2015.  A free airfare from Miami to the Galapagos for the June 21st expedition enticed us to sign-up for this time slot.   Almost everything was included in expedition price:

1. Free airfare on American Airlines from Miami to Guayaquil, Ecuador and back
2. Overnight accommodation at the Hotel Hilton Colon in Guayaquil coming and going
3. free airfare on Avianca Airlines  from Guayaquil to the Galapagos 
4. $200 gift certificate to B&H photography store,  
5. All transfers between airport, hotel and ship
6. "Escort service" starting in Miami to make sure you don't get lost
7. All meals, soft drinks, snacks on board including breakfasts at the hotel and
8. Tour of the Charles Darwin Research Center and a highlands tour of Santa Cruz  including  wild tortoises, a coffee and sugarcane farm with still and an excellent lunch at a rain forest restaurant.

The Hotel Hilton Colon is nothing but first class. The Avianca plane looked to be brand new with lots of leg room in economy.

Extras are:

1. A DVD documenting the expedition plus a behind the scenes tour.  $50
2. Alcoholic beverages - only $4 for a bottle of beer
3. Tee shirts or other souvenirs -about $24/tee in Santa Cruz,
4. Suggested tip of $180 pp for 30 crew members and
5. Wireless Internet connection - slow and expensive

We purchased the DVD. The video is astonishingly well done.  The trip price is fair considering the number of crew and the quality of service.





National Geographic Islander

You may have noticed that I refer to our trip as an expedition, not a cruise.  Well, the expedition part is all taken care of by the folks at Lindblad and the Islander crew.  You will just be a tourist. That's all you can be unless you find some kind of volunteer position as all trips into the park area which covers most of the land and sea in the Galapagos require permits and a licensed naturalist.   The Islander is not a cruise ship. You will not find a casino, swimming pool or 24 hour buffet. What you do find is amazing wildlife, up close snorkeling and kayaking along shorelines and hiking island trails.

The National Geographic Islander is registered as an expedition ship.  To me it is a luxurious ship. The least expensive cabin on the boat, the one we booked, featured a bed wide enough for four, a small desk that served for our notebook computer, ample storage space, head, shower and sink.  The lounge, dinning room and upper decks are beautifully appointed.

The Islander is a catamaran which means that it has two hulls making it more stable than a monohull, but not as stable as a big cruise ship with stabilizers.  The boat moves around a little in a seaway but not much. Mostly, the ship motors from anchorage to anchorage in the early morning hours when folks are asleep. I was surprised when one morning our expedition leader complained and apologized for the ship's motion during the night as I had found the muted motion to be comforting.  I didn't hear anyone else complaining about the ship's motion but the staff offers free sea sickness medication for landlubbers just in case.

Each hull holds a big Detroit diesel to propel the ship.  Also, a big Detroit generator provides all the electricity that the guests and crew can possibly use including A/C. The ship was way too cold for me but probably just right for others.  A water maker makes more water by reverse osmosis that anyone could want. The water is purer than your water at home. A big water heater makes hot water for showers. As my old boss was fond of saying, "Just like downtown!"

How's the food?  We found the breakfasts and lunches to be very tasty, the dinners less so although some people raved about all the meals.

What's best about the National Geographic Islander besides its location in the Galapagos and its luxurious accommodations?   The crew, of course.  Lynn Fowler, the expedition leader, has many years experience including six months of camping alone with tortoises in one of the island's calderas for her Ph.D. research.  Park rules require that a certified naturalist accompany us tourists on every hike, kayak paddle and snorkel.  Our naturalists were exceptional.  I have the impression that Ben could talk about the different birds we spotted for months on end if given the chance; his knowledge of the Galapagos is`extensive.  Juan Carlos also served as photo instructor; he received training from National Geographic. Enrique, only 25 years old, was also pressed into service as the ship's sea lion pup by the many kids on board.  He held up well.  

We were among the oldest of the tourists who ranged from five to eighty-two. All of us were able to hike across rough terrain and snorkel.  I brought my hiking stick but it went unused as hiking sticks are available on board but only a few of us needed them.

What to bring?  After you sign-up , Lindblad will send you travel information including a list of stuff to bring with you.  Although all snorkeling equipment is available on the ship, we brought our own masks, snorkels and wet suits. It's up to you, but if you bring your own mask that you know for sure it fits; that is one less worry. And you know your own wet suit will keep you reasonably warm. 

There were lots of high quality cameras in use on our trip.  Before the trip, I received a link to a web seminar presented by a National Geographic photographer. He provided tips and reviewed some of the cameras then available. One tip that I did not follow was to store the camera outside the state room; I didn't see anywhere to store the camera and didn't bother to ask.  Every day, the  maid turned the A/C down to absolutely freezing and then we turned the A/C off. When the freezing cold camera hit the outside air, condensation formed on the lens until the camera warmed up which took awhile.   

Our posts below chronicle our trip. You can also see some of my better photographs.  Some of the other tourists got much better ones and David, the video chronicler, just amazing. 

I wish I could do it all over again.   My advice - go while you can.

Galapagos Islands  Marine Reserve

In Darwin's Footsteps

Books I read before the trip:

The Galapagos: A Natural History by Henry Nicholis

Galapagos: In Darwin's Footsteps by Mark Newman

Our Last Full Day on Board - Genovesa Island

Our last full day was pent on the spectacular northern island of Genovesa and it is one of the most pristine islands in the archipelago.  We began with an early morning kayak along the shore where we spotted Nazca and red-footed boobies and tropicbirds along with some small fur sea lions (a different species than what we've seen previously).  Later we went on a naturalist led walk.  It is amazing that the birds just sit there in their nests or in the mangroves and are not at all afraid of people.  Richard and the rest of the photographers were ecstatic because its easy to get some great shots.

Photos - On Darwin Beach

Later we went on our last GREAT snorkel - and we loved swimming along the sides of a caldera.  The rocks drop off and you can see lovely large fish and we even had a furry sea lion in water near us.  This spot is called Darwin Bay and there are some crude steps called Prince Phillip's Steps that Richard went up with some of the others in the late afternoon.  (I was too pooped after kayaking, snorkeling and beach walking!)

Photos - Up Prince Phillip's Steps for nice walk for photos of Red Footed Boobies, Nazca Boobies, Frigate Birds and more.





The last night was memorable - we had a Champagne Toast and a wonderful meal culminating in flaming Baked Alaska.  We also shared our photos and had a great slide show with the other passengers.

We'd highly recommend going on a National Geographic Excursion!

Expedition Report

We have now flown back to Guayaquil and are staying in the Hilton.  We are taking a short tour of the town and tomorrow, we have a 3 a.m. wake up call for our flight  back to Miami.  

Here is what the guides told us:

If you are ever frustrated or hurried
or things are not going your way,
please close your eyes for a moment and remember;
the swirling sea lions, and the soaring birds,
and perhaps life will feel a little kinder and more light-hearted.
You may be leaving Galapagos,
but the Galapagos will never leave you!

Friday at Sombrero Chino & Sullivan Bay, Santiago

The week is flying by and today we visited some islands formed by extinct volcanoes.  We did some amazing snorkeling - the tropical fish are very colorful - probably the largest I have seen anywhere.  The parrot fish were 2-1/2 ft long! 

 Later in the afternoon we went on a very challenging 2 mile hike on a lava flow that is about 100 years old.  We walked mostly on the ropy lava called "pahoehoe" and tried to avoid the broken up "aa" lava.  

They had walking sticks for us - which we both needed.  The naturalist guides do a wonderful job of explaining the land and plant and animal life. It was just amazing that some very little yellowish plants survive in this foreboding environment.  We even saw a few cactus plants!  It was quite a contrast against the blue blue water and it reminded us of the Big Island of Hawaii.  Later that evening we had a wonderful BBQ on the upper deck of the boat and a star show. The captain turned off all the lights on the boat and the naturalist had a laser pointer.  He showed us the Southern Cross and the other major planets, stars and constellations.  Just loved it!

Photos

Expedition Report

South Plaza & Santa Fe Islands

South Plaza and Santa Fe Islands

Last night the boat repositioned to South Plaza, a volcanic island known for its numerous seabirds and colorful endemic land iguanas. Off we went after breakfast where we learned that the native iguanas were almost wiped out by feral dogs and other non-native mammals. Recently their National Park Service was able to eradicate the offending species and the endangered populations are recovering.

Later we snorkeled Santa Fe Island and saw an amazing coronet fish - and Richard had an encounter with a sea lion who wanted to be photographed underwater. Richard went on an afternoon walk and saw a Santa Fe land iguana. We had a wonderful talk by Lynn Fowler, the Expedition Leader about her Ph.D. Dissertation research on giant tortoises. Tonight the boat will move onto Sombrero Chino (Chinaman's Hat)

We hiked on South Plaza Islet located off the eastern coast of Santa Cruz and on Santa Fe Islet located a few miles to the south.  While snorkeling in protected water along Santa Fe, I apparently annoyed a sea lion somehow; watch the video!

Sea Lion Video

 

 

 

Expedition Report

Photos South Plaza   and   Photos Santa Fe   and   Sea Lion Video

South Plaza Photos

 

 

Santa Fe Photos

 

 

 

 

The LARGE TORTOISES, Seabirds and Iguanas

Charles Darwin Research Center and Highlands Santa Cruz

Today was one busy day! The ship anchored off Santa Cruz (also known as Indefatigable) which is home to giant tortoises. After landing via zodiacs at the town dock, we boarded a bus for a short ride to the Tortoise Breeding Center operated by their National Park Service. Since the tortoise population of the islands was decimated by the whalers of years gone by, it is their task to re-establish them so that they will not go extinct. The program has been very successful; we admired the little babies that were separated by age and island groups. 

We then go our first glimpse of the giant tortoises – large lumbering shy animals that have 2 different type of shells. One looks like a saddle and the other, a curved dome. Later, we boarded another bus for a trip to the lush green highlands. We visited a coffee and sugar cane plantation called “El Trapiche” and later had lunch at a Narwhal Restaurant, lovely place in the rain-forest. We then traveled to see the tortoises in their natural habitat. We donned boots and traipsed through muddy fields where we discovered quite a few of them slogging along. We are now back on the boat awaiting dinner. It was quite a fun day and Richard is pleased with the pictures taken.

 

Expedition Report

Photos
Charles Darwin Research Center    
Galapagos Conservancy

 

 

 

 

 

Punta Comorant and Post Office Bay

We awoke early today for a pre-breakfast outing, We boarded the zodiacs at 6:30 a.m. - and headed for Punta Cormorant on Isla Floreana, making a wet landing on a green (olivine) beach. Blue Footed Boobies nested on a bluff above us and dove for fish just off the beach. On our way to a white sand beach with turtle nests. Our guide pointed out the rare endangered Floreana mockingbird. It was cute. But we really enjoyed the pink flamingos in the salt pond. 

We went back the ship for breakfast (the food here is super delicious) and then we were off for another zodiac ride followed by a wonderful snorkeling trip. After yesterday, everyone was huddling together and extra careful. Not only were the fish gorgeous, but it was a thrill snorkeling with the sea lions who dove all around us and have no fear of humans. 



Photos   Expedition Report 

Slide Show

In the afternoon, we visited the famous Post Office Bay, where a barrel is still used for an old mail swap tradition going back to whaling ship days of 1793. We addressed post cards and we'll see if other tourists hand deliver them to our addressees! No stamps were needed – it is the good will of the people visiting here. We picked up a card to an address in Sarasota, FL and will deliver it upon our return. Later in the day, we explored some rocky inlets and islands where we spotted 7 penguins (the species is only found here) and some marine iguanas and sea lions. Quite a fun day!

 Slide Show

Photos

Espanola, Galapagos

Early Morning Kayaking 

We awoke bright and early - 5:00 AM - and enjoyed wonderful kayaking in Gardner Bay on an island called Espanola.  A few blue footed boobies and marine iguanas hung out on the cliffs and a sea lion checked out the kayaks.   We then headed back for breakfast. 

A Snorkeling Tragedy 

After a snorkeling briefing, we boarded the zodiacs for a wonderful time - except, a tragedy occurred.  One of the passengers, a lady of 65, was founded dead in the water!  It was so sad.  Her husband was supposed to be her buddy in the snorkeling and he became preoccupied picture taking.  No one knows what happened, but we suspect she had a heart attack.  We now have to go back to the island of San Cristobal and the Ecuadorian police are here taking her and her husband off the boat and doing an investigation. 

We are so sad for them.  We are waiting to see what happens next.  The crew hopes to continue the voyage. We went to the beach

Post script

The authorities picked up the man and his deceased wife and they flew home to Illinois. (They put her in a beautiful wood coffin with a large cross on it.) We then continued the voyage.   

Getting it Wrong and Getting Lucky Again


Today was not a good day for my photography.  Perhaps there just wasn't enough light for my little point and shoot camera I carried for the early morning kayaking. All my photos were terrible.  Snorkeling, my underwater photos were worse. The battery in my GoPro was dead.  A water drop on the lens of the little camera spoiled most of my photos of the sea lions on the beach.  Live and learn.

We were supposed to buddy together, Joanne and I while snorkeling.  But I got a little behind taking photos and then the heel strap on one my fins came completely off.  I tread water for while getting the strap back on and when I looked up Joanne was gone.  I looked around and couldn't see here anywhere. Our group including Joanne and our guide had quickly moved far down the shore as they followed sea lions. Joanne had one of her best days snorkeling ever. I wasted a lot of time looking for her.  For the rest of the trip, we did better at budding-up.


Expedition Report



Sea Lions Enjoying the Beach