Galapagos traffic hazard! On the way to the tortoise ranch, Santa Cruz. (1)
Galapagos Giant Tortoise (Geochelone spp.) (2). One of the local wild residents who turn up here for the lush grass.
Galapagos Giant Tortoises (Geochelone spp.) (3). Enjoying the mud wallow
Galapagos Giant Tortoises (Geochelone spp.) (4)
Tunnels formed from Lava tubes, resulting from ancient volcanic activity on Santa Cruz Island. The longest tunnel is 2Km long.
Cactus Ground Finch (Geospiza scandens)
South Plaza (1). A small uninhabited island off Santa Cruz
South Plaza (2). The Galapagos Carpetweed provides a welcome splash of orange-red colour on the mostly-barren lava rock.
South Plaza (3). Cliffs at the Western end of South Plaza, ideal for nesting seabirds.
Sally Lightfoot Crabs (Grapsus grapsus) on the shore at South Plaza
Galapagos Sealions (Zalophus wollebacki) (1)
Galapagos Sealions (Zalophus wollebacki) (2)
Galapagos Islands
Images from a trip to the Galapagos in 2015. We opted for a land-based trip, staying on Isabela and Santa Cruz islands, although most of the excursions were still by boat. We enjoyed being able to go for walks from our hotels on free afternoons and wandering around the local village before picking a restaurant for dinner. We still saw a huge amount during our stay, which was thoroughly enjoyable. The land-based option does limit your range (and species numbers) but is ideal for those who prefer to sleep on land rather than at sea. Even at the 'calmer-seas' time of year, there were heavy swells and rough seas quite often during our stay.
