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Returning to the yacht, and changing into our snorkeling and kayaking gear, our mood rose dramatically as we experienced the unbelievable fun you can have with sea lions in Galápagos. As Carlos said: "Young sea lions are as playful as puppies." No doubt about it. We had an unforgettable time in Gardner Bay playing for hours with a group of 5-6 sea lions. We played catch with them, throwing big cactus leaves; we put a piece of rope in the water and they would pull on it; they would swim with the snorkelers, imitating the human swimming style (basically making fun of them!); and they would splash water at the people in the kayaks - in fact one of them even tried to jump up into our kayak! I'm not sure who was most entertained - the sea lions or us. |
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Le Grande Finale was – as one can only expect in the Galápagos – just fantastic. We landed on Hood Island at Punta Suarez, and though it was misty with light rain, this island was a showcase of scenery and wildlife. On this last day we finally got to see Galápagos's fun and probably most famed inhabitant – the blue-footed booby. And there were lots of them, courting, sky-pointing, dancing. A few were nesting, while others had newly hatched chicks. The noise level at times was almost overwhelming – of "whistling" males and "honking" females. They would stand right next to you on the trail on their big, bright, blue feet, curiously look at you with dark, close-set eyes, and you couldn't help but smile. |
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Hood Island is also home to my favorite bird (if you don't include penguins!) – the waved albatross. This beautiful, aristocratic-looking bird, with a huge wingspan (up to 6.6 feet), is a truly elegant flyer (or glider) once airborne! Virtually the entire world population of 12,000 pairs nest on Hood. The albatross chick is fluffy, brown, and one could be tempted to say so ugly that it's actually really cute. Though late in the season, we were also fortunate to see a few waved albatross pairs performing their pair-bonding ritual dance.
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And of course there was an iguana or two on this wonderful island. The iguanas on Hood were further into the mating season, which means that the adult males' skin color changes from blackish-gray to bright red, orange, green, and black splotches.
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We were all sad to leave the islands and each other. On a trip like this, the other travelers and the staff become your extended family. I especially enjoyed the company of the three boys Andrew, Matthew, and Brian. Not only did they teach us all a lot about the Galápagos' wildlife (Matthew was like a living wildlife encyclopedia!) - they also taught me how to play Egyptian War (a game of cards) – with and without cheating! The age range in our group was from 7-70. This just proves that Galápagos can be truly enjoyed by anyone at any age. |
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For more information and reservations, please contact:
Mountain Travel Sobek
1266 66th Street, Suite 4
Emeryville, CA 94608 USA
Toll Free (USA and Canada): 1-888-831-7526
Phone: +1-510-594-6000
Fax: + 1-510-594-6001
Email: info@mtsobek.com
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