GALAPAGOS ISLANDS

                A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE GALAPAGOS

Once upon a time anyone could sail into the Galapagos, drop anchor, and wander at will. Fortunately for the ecosystem, no one can do that any more. Ecuador has very tight control over the islands. Everyone wishing to visit the islands must check in at Santa Cruz Island, register, pay his fees, and hire a guide for the duration of his stay. The guide sails on the boat and informs the visitor where he may and may not go

Only so many people and so many boats are allowed in the island waters at any one time. All boats have a guide for every fifteen passengers.  Most of the boats are small accommodating between 8-20 passengers.

There only are three large boats with a limit of 60 passengers. All the guides are trained at the Darwin Research Center on the island of Santa Cruz. All life is protected and habitats and nesting areas are off limits.

We are familiar with the word dinghy or zodiac, but in much of the world such a small boat is known as a panga.  With the boat often moving with the wave action, loading the pangas was often a challenge, but the crew was always there to lend a firm helping hand.

It is a 600-mile flight from Quito, Ecuador to Baltra Island in the Galapagos Islands. Baltra has the only runway and the airport is small, open air and as quaint as the Honolulu airport was in the 1950s. At the time of our visit the park fee was $80 that could be paid in either US dollars or Ecuadorian sucre. One dollar equaled 1800 sucre so you can imagine the fist full of sucre I had to pay our $160 fee. I just handed it to the officer and with a smile said, “You can count it.” He did and we were on our way outside.

Once outside, an old school bus transported us to the harbor where all the boats waited new visitors. We loaded a panga and ferried out to our luxury yacht, Reina Sylvia.

There is much to tell about this awesome vacation, its animals and people, but another day.