Rabida has red sand beaches, turquoise seas and breeding herds of Sea Lions. Amongst the sand and rocks, large males protect their territories from a marauding band of Sea Lion bachelors, individuals of which often challenge the dominant males for the chance to mate. Even spending just a short time with the colony, you are sure to witness a fight full of loud barks and charges.
Santa Cruz is the second largest island of the Galapagos Archipelago with a surface area of 986 square kilometers. On its south coast sits Puerto Ayora, an important harbor and the only populated part of the island. It is a good place to buy souvenirs, mail postcards and absorb some local color. It is also the home of the Charles Darwin Research Station, the Galapagos National Park headquarters and the Galapagos tortoise-breeding program where you can find several species of Tortoise in different stages of development, from hatchlings to large adults.
Our day started with a wet landing on the red sand beaches of Rabida Island. All around us sea lions lay in the morning sun, many with pups. Spotting the beach, the large dark males kept watch over their harem, and barked loud warnings to any close enough to hear. After a while, we walked away from the main colony along a shoreline path. A short while later we came upon the bachelors. There were a dozen or more. Each was basking in the sun on his own rock sun bed, oblivious to our presence.
In the afternoon, we returned to the boat for another snorkeling adventure before setting sail for Puerto Ayora. The Sulliday stayed close to the coastline of Santa Cruz on our journey. I’m sure it was to take advantage of the spectacular views the island offered.
A mother Sea Lion takes her newborn pup to the water for the first time
When we arrived in Puerto Ayora Harbor, it was like a parking lot. There were boats of all shapes and sizes moored around us. For me, it was a bit too much of a reality wake-up after living in a dream, but the crew was happy. They would be able to go ashore and spend time with their families before we continued to our next destination.
The Harbor at Puerto Ayora
Puerto Ayora is a bustling town. There are gift shops, restaurants, hotels, a post office and many tourists. While we were there, we visited the Van Straelen Visitors Center to look at some of its natural history exhibits and the Charles Darwin Research Station to see the Galapagos tortoise-breeding program. That afternoon, we took a van about 40 minutes inland to go caving in ancient lava tunnels that reminded me of a subway station with no lighting. In the evening, we returned to the boat and spent a gorgeous Galapagos night looking at the night sky and the lights of Puerto Ayora.
No comments:
Post a Comment