With only a handful of precious spots left in the only mud
bath around, the race begins to determine who will get there first.
Their short, thick legs stomp on the ground with each slow
and heavy step. It’s not easy carrying around nearly 500 pounds. A mud bath is
exactly what the doctor ordered to escape the intense Galapagos heat.
“They can stay in there for days,” says my guide Milton
Ulloa, as I curiously watch the six giant tortoises sitting in the small pool
of mud in the highlands of Santa Cruz — the archipelago’s most populous island.
They look like giant boulders, except for the bubbles occasionally
rising from their rear ends. Once in a while they open their eyes to watch the
handful of wide-eyed tourists staring at them in amazement.
“I never thought I’d spend the afternoon watching giant
tortoises fart in the mud,” says one man, as several more tortoises casually
stroll towards us to join the party.
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| A giant tortoise in the highlands of Santa Cruz. |
Before humans arrived in the late 1700s, most of the
Galapagos Islands were home to hundreds of thousands of giant tortoises. Scientists
believe they arrived from the mainland South America about three million years
ago after they were washed into the ocean, then floated or drifted on
vegetation rafts to the island’s rocky shores.
Pirates, buccaneers and whalers, however, used the animals as
food for their long voyages, removing as many as 200,000 from the archipelago
and decimating the population. Tortoise oil was burned in lamps and their
shells served many purposes before the invention of plastic. The sailors also
brought rats, pigs and goats, which threatened the tortoises and other animals
unique to the region.
Today, it’s estimated between 20,000 and 25,000 wild tortoises
live on the islands, and the breeding program at the Charles Darwin Research
Station, (which promotes scientific studies and protects the indigenous
vegetation and animal life), has helped some populations bounce back. Once
there were 15 species scattered throughout the archipelago, but today 11 remain.
Found only in the Galapagos and the Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean, the
tortoises are the largest terrestrial reptiles on earth.
It’s because of these unique creatures that I decided to
visit the Galapagos Islands on a whim. For many people, it’s a place to cross
off their bucket list, but lately I’d taken an interest in biology and nature
shows, and was curious to witness the wonders of the Galapagos with my own
eyes.
When I told my father I wanted to go there, he
enthusiastically replied, “I’m coming too!” We had been to Rwanda to view wild
mountain gorillas and kayaked among humpback whales off the north coast of
Vancouver Island. This seemed like another perfect father-daughter wildlife
adventure, but the timing wasn’t right, so I signed up for a seven-day tour
with G Adventures and flew to Ecuador on my own.
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| A brown pelican on the rocky shoreline of Santa Cruz Island. |
Home to thousands of plant and animal species, of which the
vast majority are endemic, the 19 islands that make up the Galapagos are located
approximately 965 kilometres off the coast of Ecuador and have a population of
around 30,000 permanent residents. Considered one of the world’s foremost destinations
for wildlife viewing, the islands served as the inspiration for Charles
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and it’s easy to see why. The region is a harsh,
remote landscape that forces new species to survive by evolving specific traits
to suit the environment.
On our 20-person vessel, the Monserrat, we navigate the
waters of the Galapagos, visiting the small central islands of Santa Cruz and
Santiago where we get close to a number of species that have evolved.
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| One of the many marine iguanas found on the Galapagos Islands. |
We mingle with marine iguanas, land iguanas, Sally Lightfoot
crabs, pelicans, great blue herons and blue-footed boobies lounging on rocky
shorelines. We snorkel with Galapagos penguins (the only species of penguin
found north of the equator), curious sea lions, green sea turtles, white-tipped
reef sharks, manta rays and schools of colourful reef fish in the crystal
waters of pristine coves.
Largely untouched by humans, every place is ridiculously
clean. The sprawling white-sand beaches melting into the turquoise waters are amongst
the most stunning I’ve ever seen. It’s an isolated haven of biodiversity that remains
nature’s greatest science laboratory.
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| Bachas Beach on the northeastern tip of Santa Cruz Island. |
“Galapagos is one of the few places in the world where the
animals are not afraid of humans,” said Ulloa, who’s been a guide in the
Galapagos for 24 years. “It’s a very special place. The animals come to you and
we want to keep it that way.”
Given his love for photographing birds, I think about my
father throughout the trip. I can hear him say, “Oh for Pete’s sake,” as we
watch the giant tortoises file into the mud bath. I can imagine his eyes light
up the moment he saw his first Galapagos penguin; the shutter on his camera
clicking in a mad frenzy.
The ever-changing landscape of barren black volcanic rocks
to swaths of white sand beaches with cactus forests peppered in between would
also take his breath away. The islands, estimated to be between three and 10
million years old, are the tips of underwater mountains formed by many
eruptions. The impressive lava flow in Santiago’s Sullivan Bay was formed 113
years ago, creating a bizarre and twisted landscape that begs to be
photographed.
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| The lava flow in Santiago’s Sullivan Bay was formed 113 years ago. |
As I sit on the back deck of the Monserrat cruising along at
full speed, I watch the sun set over the islands for the last time. The sky
turns brilliant shades of soft pastels, making the water shimmer like silver in
the final moments of light. Large black frigate birds follow our vessel like
they always do. They look like vultures, eagerly anticipating any shred of
food.
I know I’ll be back again some day to visit the other
islands in this magical and fascinating place. Only next time I’m not leaving Canada
without my father.
WATCH: The giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbLpBs59EeA&t=2s
IF YOU GO:
The Galapagos Islands is part of Ecuador and a national park. Access is limited and all visitors must be accompanied by a park-certified naturalist guide. G Adventures is one of several companies tat offer trips there with a wide range of activities. Their land and sea
trip begins in Ecuador’s lively capital city of Quito, then heads to the
central islands of Santiago and Santa Cruz. One night is spent in a hotel in the
port town of Puerta Ayora and three nights are spent on the Monserrat. For more
information visit gadventures.com
— published by the Toronto Sun in March 2018: https://torontosun.com/travel/international/galapagos-islands-this-must-be-wonderland
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| Sally Lightfoot crabs are a common sight on many rocky shores throughout the Galapagos Islands. |