2021 Bakersfield Galapagos Conservation Expedition

Blog #5

Written by Drew Mariani and Riley Shelbourne

This morning, we had our typical breakfast, with the addition of some delicious cheese empanadas . We had the opportunity to do laundry for the first time. Then, we boarded the bus and headed down the street to our rental bikes. On our bikes, we headed out of town on a sandy trail, to The Wall of Tears. The ride was very hot, very sweaty, I think my bike frame was too small, and the uphill parts got very difficult. Still enjoyed it though – not as hard as the hike on the volcano, in my opinion. The Wall of Tears was a large wall, unfinished as it was abandoned, built of large lava rocks hauled from the nearby Sierra Negra volcano. 240 of the 300 prisoners tasked with building it died, giving it its somber name.

On our way back, we stopped at a sweet lookout point for some incredible views of the island, and playa de amor, where marine iguanas use the black lava rock as camouflage during mating season. 

After lunch, we toured a farm. We saw a bunch of farm animals- chickens, turkeys, pigs, goats and geese- which we learned were sold as pets on the island.  We also tasted what they grew- white pineapple, papaya, banana and guanabana. Afterwards we went to Volcán de Sucre and walked through the pitch black lava tunnel, where they were shiny, glimmering green-gold walls and newly forming stalactites. We then watched the sunset from the pier and saw a lot more marine life. This evening, some of us hung out around the hotel while a few brave adventurers went on a night swim.

Las Tintoreras

Written by Kevin Dewey 

This morning we woke up well rested at 7:50 for an 8:00 breakfeast of eggs, yogurt, fruit, and guayava juice. After that we set out for our snorkeling trip at Tintoreras which translates to white tip reef shark. We arrived at the beach by chiva (bus) at 8:15 and set out in our kayaks at 8:30.

Our journey to the reef was filled with sightings of blue-footed boobies, pelicans, and sea lions. Once we arrived at Tintoreras we jumped in the crystal clear water, and began to explore the amazing small bay. This small bay didn’t look like much from the surface, but underwater it was teeming with life. There were so may different species of fish and sea creatures from parrot fish to sea turtles. I along with the rest of the group were hoping to see a white tip shark because the day before we saw a group of black tip sharks hunting in the area we were snorkeling at. We searched and searched but to no avail. Nonetheless the adventure was still better than I could have possibly imagined.

After we had all finished exploring the amazing underwater ecosystem we hopped in our kayaks and headed back to the island. After putting our kayaks back we set off for some lunch at a local restaurant. The food was fantastic- I had a local version of chicken soup and ceviche, and I must say, it being my first time having ceviche, the bar has been set high. After lunch we went back to our hotel where we had some down time. But we had other plans… some people set out to explore the town, some to search for flamingos, and the rest of us decided we would go catch some waves at the beach.

When we got there we were greeted by 4-5 foot waves. It being my first time I was a bit skeptical about the size of the waves, but I didn’t let that stop me. By the end we were all shredding the gnar and riding the swells. After a few hours of surfing we were ready for dinner, so we went back to the hotel and got cleaned up and set out for our dinner. I decided I would try langostino (lobster) for the first time and just like the ceviche the bar has been set high. After dinner we walked around the city for a little while and then went back to the hotel, played uno for a bit, then went to bed in preparation for our next adventure.

Hiking Sierra Negra

Written by Dylan McConnel

We woke up today for a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs, yogurt parfaits, and delicious fresh guanábana juice at our hotel, Hotel Tintoreras. The hearty breakfast was needed, because today we would be hiking up the Sierra Negra volcano in Isla Isabella. After breakfast we packed up for the ten mile hike, and got on the open-sided bus (la chiva) to drive to the beginning of the trail. Along the way we saw the change from coastal mangroves to highlands forest full of lush vegetation and beautiful red hibiscus and purple hydrangea. After a half an hour we came to the end of the road, and the beginning of the trail up to the rim of the Sierra Negra caldera (crater).

Although we had hoped for it to be a cloudy day, the skies were perfectly clear as we began our hike. The hot sun was beating down, and we were all thankful for the cool breeze blowing across the mountainside. The beginning of the trail was quite steep and forested in, but as the trail flattened out we were presented with a panoramic view of the vast crater. Sheer green wall surrounded the deep black bottom of the crater. We all stopped for a drink, and took photos of the views.  

Continuing on, we followed the rim of the crater for around a mile, stopping to learn about the various volcano types, eventually stopping for a packed lunch of delicious chicken fried rice. After reapplying sunscreen, we went down the side of the volcano to where the most recent eruption occurred. The scenery was surreal as we walked through lava fields pocketed with tubes and deep vent holes. The black and red craters lined with colorful vegetation and yellow sulfur created a beautiful scene for us to rest while we enjoyed the scenery. Eventually we made our way back along the trail to the bus for the ride back to the hotel. 

Sore and hot, we arrived back at the hotel ready to jump in the ocean and cool off. We all got ready and made our way to the white sand beaches just down the street from our hotel. Me and a couple others bodysurfed the waves, which sometimes reached up to eight feet because of the high tide. We stayed there for nearly two hours. Finally we went and got barbecue, and chilled at the hotel for the rest of the night.

Isla Isabella

Written by Jake Nahama, Connor Michael, and Kevin Dewey

Today started bright and early with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, green plantain, and blackberry juice at hotel Las Palmeras. The group then moved to the docks to board the boat headed for Isla Isabella, but before we could board some baby black tip reef sharks had to say goodbye. The two and a half hour ride was relatively smooth, with only a couple of people getting seasick and one person maybe possibly throwing up. ( aka Jake Nahama, the author :) ) On the boat you could see dolphins, some manta rays, and one very curious penguin.
-Jake Nahama

This morning started off bright and early. We were woken up by the bright sun and our very annoying alarms. We had a delightful breakfast of eggs, plantain (tortilla verde), and a very delicious blackberry juice. After a great breakfast we headed to Isla Isabella. Other than the beautiful blue water, the most surreal thing today was getting to go snorkeling with sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, and black tip sharks!
-Connor Michael

The trip to the beautiful Isla Isabella was long and difficult mostly because I almost threw up 5 times. But I made it nonetheless and it was well worth the seasickness. This Island is beautiful with its crystal clear water, and white sand beaches. We learned about a multitude of things like how the islands were formed, the evolution of the marine iguana, and that we should take dramamine before we go on a boat ride. My favorite part of our expedition today was snorkeling. Swimming with the spotted eagle ray and black tip sharks was an amazing experience. However, nothing compares to getting within inches of a green sea turtle and experiencing its environment. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this journey has in store!
-Kevin Dewey

Bienvenidos a Ecuador!

Quito Arrival / Exploring Santa Cruz

Written by Tommy Tyson

After a long travel day yesterday, the group was excited to finally arrive in Quito last night. We met with our local guide at the airport and navigated the curvy, misty highland roads to our quaint hotel. Our first taste of this cold, foggy climate would be short-lived, however, as we made our way back to the airport this morning and flew to Baltra, our port of entry to our Galapagos adventure!

Immediately after we got off the plane we knew we were in a different world from the one we had just departed. Not only were we greeted by the strong sun, heat and humidity, we also got our first glimpse of wildlife before we even got off the tarmac- a large, brown land iguana sauntering off to find cover as we approached. This would be the first of many wildlife sightings to come throughout the day.

Everyone changed into more comfortable clothing and made our way by bus to the boat launch to take a short ferry ride across to Santa Cruz island. We dodged napping sea lions on the docks, marveled at the turquoise-colored waters of the channel and got a good laugh with Dylan when he got a little too close to the water to feel the temperature and ended up taking the first dip of the trip.

Once in Santa Cruz, we met with a local naturalist from the island who took us around for the afternoon. We briefly visited los gemelos, a set of impressive twin sinkholes, before continuing on to El Chato Ranch, a private ecological reserve where we saw several large Galapagos tortoises and learned about their characteristics and behaviors. We explored a couple of underground tunnels forged from lava millenia ago and ate lunch before continuing onward to Puerto Ayora. Here we finished off the day’s tour with a visit to the Darwin Research Center before settling into our hotel for the evening.

It has been a challenging but rewarding day and half of travel. The group is tired but in high spirits having made it to our destination and seeing the beauty of this place firsthand. We are looking forward to what tomorrow brings!