EcuadorSightseeing

5/15 Isla Floreana to Isla Isabela

Posted heidic

Our rooms at the Wittmer Lodge in Floreana were small and slightly dingy – and there was no cross-current.  So I woke up at dawn from the heat and went outside to take sunrise pictures.

Sunrise Over Floreana

 

Heidi at Sunrise

Shoreline Walk to Bay

Pablo took us on a long, lovely hike along the coast to see crabs, volcanic rock, and other cool things.  The sun was very strong so of course I got a sunburn on the one shoulder that was always facing the sun.  Totally worth it, though.

Volcanic Rock
Tortoise Skull
Beach Prettiness
Sea lions frolicking in the waves
I dropped my lens cover down a small ravine, so Pablo and I went on a search
Heidi and Liz
Sally Lightfoot Crabs
Lava Lizards
Lava Lizard
The old San Cristobal tortoise that the Wittmer family brought to Floreana decades earlier
Perspective of size
Close Up of Tortoise
Wittmer Hotel Flowers

Isla Floreana to Isla Isabela

We embarked on (another) two hour boat trip from one island to the next. This time to Isla Isabela.  It was long.  And bumpy.  As the days and boat trips move on, more and more of our group moves toward the back of the boat to manage the sea sickness.  It’s pretty difficult to think of anything else… until… WHALE!!!!

Whale spray

Then, just 20 minutes later, WHALE SHARK!  It’s like all our dreams of the night before came true.  I’m not exaggerating when I say I jumped in with all my clothes.

Whale Shark

Despite the beauty of seeing hundreds of them together in Isla Mujeres, whale sharks never cease to be amazing in any setting.  They’re glorious.

La Laguna Hotel – Isla Isabela

We were delighted to get to Isla Isabel, where we’d be for a few days.  Our hotel was lovely and clean and AIR CONDITIONED – which was a huge bonus after Floreana.  We celebrated by taking a power nap after lunch.  Then we went for a walk along the coastline to the pier so we could hop a boat to explore the islands and see penguins.

Old Log
Mangroves
Swimming Penguin
Swimming Penguins
Pelican, blue footed boobies, and penguins – all together
It’s called “Ah Ah Lava” because – when you walk on it – you yell “Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!”
Juvenile Iguanas
Coral

Snorkel Trip

It’s a shame I didn’t bring my underwater camera, because we had a glorious snorkel trip from the shore.  We saw green sea urchins, spiny sea urchins, the other sea urchins that I can’t remember.  I also saw schools of salema fish and scorpion fish.  And for a while we hung out in a ravine to see marine iguanas swim by.  It was really extraordinary to watch.

BBQ Dinner

Dinner was at a little place down the street with delicious BBQ. We had – as we always did – lots of laughter.  One of the other two tour groups there was given their itinerary and got to sleep in until 9:00 AM.  NINE AM!!!  We teased Pablo since we were up by 6:00 every morning and he grinned, “There’s a reason this is called ‘Active South America’.”

Delicious BBQ Dinner

As we are with every night, we were in bed and asleep by 9:45. Since, ya know, it’s “Active South America” and we had to wake up at 6:00.