Isla Floreana, Galapagos

By Nicole

Penguins? In the Galapagos? Yes! And they’re just as cute as you’d imagine them to be. We were super lucky to have them visit us while we were anchored off gorgeous Isla Floreana. They zoomed around the boat and then quickly swam off like little black-and-white torpedoes (before we could snap any pictures, of course). They may waddle around on land, but man, are they fast in the water! And adorable too. But it wasn’t just the penguins that stopped by. Sea turtles, rays, sea lions and blue-footed boobies all came over to welcome us to Puerto Velasco Ibarra.

While bureaucracy prevents many cruising boats from visiting Isla Floreana (it depends on your agent), we were among the few who got a chance to experience it this season. And I’m so very glad we did. Floreana is wild and remote, and compared to the other islands we’re allowed to visit, it feels less touched by people (and tourists). But being the tourists that we are, we met the crew of Ninita ashore for some exploring.

The main drag on Isla Floreana

After talking with a few of the friendly locals (and even getting a ride on the back of some guy’s motorcycle around the dusty streets of town), I found someone to drive us up into the highlands. We loaded into the back of his pickup truck and sped off into the hills.

Hang on, guys!

View from the back of the pickup truck as we ascend from the ocean to the mountains

At the end of the road, we hopped out of the truck and crunched along a trail of reddish brown lava rocks to a tortoise reserve. The Galapagos Islands are volcanic in origin, and evidence of its active past is visible everywhere you look. From the lava rocks that make up the roads and trails to the tree-covered volcanoes and calderas to the black lava fields found near ocean. It has an almost prehistoric feeling about it, which was especially evident when we came across the giant tortoises. They’re one of the most ancient reptiles on the planet, but these guys don’t do much, it seems, except hang out, sleep in the dirt and chow down on vegetation. With such a chill lifestyle, it’s no wonder they can weigh up to 550 pounds and live for more than 100 years.

Two tortoises wait for the food donkey to arrive with lunch.

It’s the food donkey!

And the food donkey from behind … They really had this guy loaded down (those tortoises get hungry!).

Leaving the tortoises behind, we continued along the trail to a set of caves where the original settlers to Isla Floreana lived. A German couple and their small child arrived on the island in the 1930s looking for a simpler lifestyle and, after some modifications, called the caves home for 6 months. Members of the Wittmer family still live on the island today.

The cave is thiiiis big! With more headroom than Bella Star.

Ola taking a break near the caves.

 
Cave life provided lots of downtime for rock carving, it would seem. The fern hair is a nice touch.

Lush hillsides and Cerro Pajas in the distance

Nina and Ola walk the trail past lovely hanging flowers

The way our driver barreled down the dirt road and practically slid around the corners would make a Duke Boy proud. It just made us hold on for dear life.

Back in town, we stopped into Hotel Wittmer (yep, owned by descendent Erika Wittmer who says “ja” instead of yes or si) for some cold drinks. Erika was kind enough to let us eat our sack lunches in the shade on her balcony. Ola even managed a nap in one of the brightly colored hammocks.

Lunch break at Hotel Wittmer, looking down on the Isla Floreana anchorage (Bella Star is on the left, Ninita is on the right.) We opted to put out a stern anchor because of the swell rolling in.

Hotel Wittmer keeps a book of the boats that visit the island. Flipping through the pages, we were surprised to see our friends Paul and Suzette who lived on our dock in Seattle! Small world!! Of course we filled out a page – we were the first new entry since 2009.

With our bellies full, Aaron and I set off to hike to a nearby beach. Can I just say that the trail to La Loberia is one of the most strikingly gorgeous I’ve ever seen? The contrast between the lush green bushes, the bright white shell beach, the black lava rocks, the turquoise water and the red succulents creeping along the path was stunning. I lost track of how many times we said “wow” and “oh my gosh.”

Iguana tail

Aaron, always running point, checks out the view

 At the end of the trail, a sea lion hangout. The little ones floated through the pass and checked us out while mama kept a close eye. She wasn’t too thrilled with us swimming, so we made sure to keep our distance (sharp teeth!).

Isla Floreana is CONQUERED!

We only spent two days experiencing the tranquility and untamed beauty of Isla Floreana, and I wish we’d stayed a bit longer. But we were excited to get underway for Isla Isabela, an island that everyone says is even more beautiful. Seriously? I can’t see how that could even be possible. But I’m willing to find out. I hope it has more penguins!