Galapagos Odyssey. 3 October 12 October 2016 Isabela II

Transcription

1 Galapagos Odyssey 3 October 12 October 2016 Isabela II

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3 ABOUT US Aurora Expeditions embodies the spirit of adventure, travelling to some of the most wild and remote places on our planet. With over 20 years experience, our small group voyages allow for a truly intimate experience with nature. Our expeditions push the boundaries with flexible and innovative itineraries, exciting wildlife experiences and fascinating lectures. You ll share your adventure with a group of like-minded souls in a relaxed, casual atmosphere while making the most of every opportunity for adventure and discovery. Our highly experienced expedition team of naturalists, historians and destination specialists are passionate and knowledgeable they are the secret to a fulfilling and successful voyage. Whilst we are dedicated to providing a trip of a lifetime, we are also deeply committed to education and preservation of the environment. Our aim is to travel respectfully, creating lifelong ambassadors for the protection of our destinations.

4 DAY 1 Monday, 3 October 2016 SANTA CRUZ ISLAND & THE CHARLES DARWIN RESEARCH STATION After weeks of excited anticipation and long flights from around the world, we boarded our flight to Baltra and were finally en route to the Galápagos Islands! On arrival we met Lelia, our Aurora Expedition Leader, and our team of Galápagos National Park guides, Cathy, Sabina and José, who were excited to be helping us explore this ancient archipelago over the next nine days. They took us onto a small boat to reach Santa Cruz Island, from where buses drove us across the island to the Charles Darwin Research Station. There we had our first contact with the island s cacti, finches, iguanas and of course the giant tortoise. It was a great way to start this amazing trip. We enjoyed a short Zodiac ride before we finally embarked Isabela II our floating home away from home. We had some time to settle into our cabins before enjoying a wonderful first night s dinner and getting to know our fellow expeditioners.

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6 DAY 2 Tuesday, 4 October 2016 SANTA FÉ ISLAND & SOUTH PLAZA ISLAND Our first day started with Cathy s lovely voice waking us from our slumber and letting us know what the weather looked like and what the temperature of the water was. A few minutes later Gerd, our hotel manager, would invite us to join him for breakfast. One hour later we were already landing on Santa Fé Island. We visited the northeast end of the island where some sea lions were patrolling the beach. During the walk around the area we saw the endemic land iguana of Santa Fé, which we learned is distinguished by its size and pale colour. Lunch was on board and after a short time to relax or check s we had a safety talk about the upcoming water activities. Those who chose to snorkel or kayak jumped immediately into the Zodiac with all their necessary gear for their first contact with the Galápagos underwater world. Amazing! In the afternoon we cruised up the east coast of Santa Cruz Island to the small island of South Plaza, one of two islands known as Islas Plazas. The dry landing was on the north coast of the island in a channel that separates it from North Plaza Island. We saw some big sea lions, lots of iguanas, lava gulls, frigate birds, finches, cactus and a beautiful sunset over the ocean. We returned to Isabela II and enjoyed some time to relax and share our experiences (and, for some of us, reunite with our luggage!). Our guides briefed us on the next day s activities before we all sat down to another wonderful meal.

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8 DAY 3 Wednesday, 5 October 2016 NORTH SEYMOUR ISLAND & BACHAS BEACH, SANTA CRUZ ISLAND After breakfast, we prepared for a dry landing on North Seymour, where we enjoyed a short but very interesting walk. North Seymour is home to thousands of different kinds of creatures: seagulls, blue-footed boobies, sally light-foot crabs, sea lions, land iguanas, lizards and marine iguanas. The walk took us across two different types of terrain, boulders and sand, which are the nesting grounds for countless amounts of wildlife. Later, there was time for snorkelling or a glass bottom boat ride, so that everyone could enjoy the underwater life of the island. After lunch (and maybe a short nap for some of us) we were again loaded into the Zodiacs and on our way to Las Bachas beach. Located on the northern part of Santa Cruz Island, the beach is a very important nesting site for the green sea turtle. We were able to see the holes left by the turtles after burying their eggs. This place is also a feeding area for flamingos and several other shore birds. Luckily, we found two very pink flamingos and some oystercatchers on the brackish water lagoon. Next up was snorkelling off the beach and our first encounter with an energetic young sea lion who was eager to play. A really lovely and exciting moment. Back on board we enjoyed a tasty dinner and finished the day off with a briefing from our guides before retiring to our cabins. A lovely end to a wonderful day.

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10 DAY 4 Thursday, 6 October 2016 BARTOLOMÉ ISLAND & SULLIVAN BAY, SANTIAGO ISLAND Today started with a dry landing and hike on one of the Galápagos younger islands, Bartolomé Island one of the most photographed locations across the entire archipelago. The spectacular view was worth every breath we took to climb the steep wooden staircase to reach the top of the island. We returned to the beach and had the chance to enjoy another snorkel or glass bottom boat ride before heading back to the ship for another lovely lunch. In the afternoon, we landed at Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island for a walk over an amazing and a recent (1897) pahoehoe lava flow. Our guides shared some wonderful facts about the geology and volcanology of the region before we returned to the ship.

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12 DAY 5 Friday, 7 October 2016 SANTA CRUZ ISLAND GIANT TORTOISES & PUERTO AYORA Today, we returned to civilization on Santa Cruz Island. Around 8:30am we landed and boarded buses to be driven to the highlands for an encounter with giant tortoises in the wild. It was amazing to walk around the field and get up so close to these huge animals. It was a special moment to learn about the life of these emblematic animals. For sure, we all left with some amazing photographs. We also went on a walk through some very interesting lava tunnels, (even if for some the first steep steps inside were a bit scary). A very interesting and special experience. The highlands still had a surprise in store for us. We visited Trapiche Ecological Farm, where they showed us how to work the coffee beans, the sugar cane and how to do a traditional spirit drink. Of course, we also had the chance to taste it. Lunch at the beautiful Finch Hotel was a real treat and the perfect place to raise our glasses for a toast to Shanne s, Michael s and Tatyana s birthday! In the afternoon we had free time in Puerto Ayora, one of the few towns in the Galápagos. Some of us visited the Fisherman s Market, where the catch-of-the-day had just arrived; sea lions, frigate birds and pelicans trying to grab whatever they could. Others went for a walk around the shops for some retail therapy. Back on board and after dinner, the Isabela II crew surprised the three birthday people with a huge cake for each table! What a wonderful (and delicious) way to celebrate an excellent day.

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14 DAY 6 Saturday, 8 October 2016 FLOREANA ISLAND As our trip went on, we landed on an island that was the inspiration for many of Robinson Crusoe s stories; as well as pirates, sailors, and bizarre settlers who saw Floreana as their new home. Even though isolation is what they found, their time here was certainly a hard act to follow. Among other visitors, the famous Charles Darwin landed on this island back in 1835; this was his only encounter with a human population. His meeting with the islands vice governor proved to be crucial in Darwin s later views of the giant tortoise. Our morning landing on Floreana Island showcased the island s wildlife seabirds, sea lions, marine iguanas and different kinds of waders as well as the famous Post-Office Bay. Here we had a chance to help keep Ecuador s oldest mailing system alive. Most of us left a postcard, and many also took a postcard to personally deliver to the recipient near home. Again, we made the most of the place with a snorkel, swim or kayak off the beach. During the afternoon Champion Rock was our destination, one of the best places in the archipelago for enjoying the aquatic environment. So, we jumped into the water for snorkelling with turtles, sea lions and colourful fish, or we chose the glass bottom boat for a warmer experience. And at the end of the day, a wet landing on Punta Cormorant gave us the opportunity to again see some flamingos on a brackish water lagoon, together with ducks, stilts, sandpipers, phalaropes. Before returning to the Isabela II we experienced one of the most beautiful sunsets of the trip.

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16 DAY 7 Sunday, 9 October 2016 ESPAÑOLA ISLAND Today, the early morning called for an exciting walk as we arrived at the oldest part of the archipelago Española Island. The rocks here are around 3.5 million years old. We landed on Punta Suarez, one of those wonderful places in the Galápagos where wildlife abounds. Every single inch of this site has something happening. We tackled the boulders and rough terrain to enjoy a walk with marine iguanas with their wild combination of redblack colours, blue-footed boobies, masked boobies and red-billed tropicbirds. After lunch and a rather amusing talk about Floreana Island, we had the chance to enjoy the underwater world of the Galápagos once again. We also landed at Gardner Bay, a beautiful white sand beach inhabited by large colonies of sea lions and endemic mockingbirds. We captured some wonderful photos before returning to the ship to prepare for our last day of landings.

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18 DAY 8 Monday, 10 October 2016 SAN CRISTOBAL ISLAND San Cristobal is the easternmost island in the Galápagos archipelago and one of the oldest geologically. We started the visit with a hike at Punta Pitt (Pitt Point), located at the east end of San Cristobal Island. The trail included an olivine beach and ascended to the top of a volcanic tuff cone passing through several natural viewpoints. This is the only site in the Galápagos Islands, where you can find the three species of boobies and the two species of frigates nesting in the same area. And we saw all of them! One last snorkel and kayak, followed by lunch, and we were back out exploring. We boarded the Zodiacs for a coastal exploration and a wet landing on Cerro Brujo an impressive volcanic formation (tuff cone) located at the north west of San Cristobal Island. We visited a beautiful coral sand beach, where we took a long stroll to the very end. We admired the views from the beach, the volcanic landscape, sea lions, sea birds and shore birds all adding to the wonderful surrounds. A peaceful and unforgettable last landing in the Galápagos. Back on board we enjoyed a sunset farewell cocktail on the deck of Isabela II, before enjoying the photo presentation our guides had organised. We were all thankful to the entire team and crew for the great moments they helped us to experience and for the excellent group of people we had met.

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22 DAY 9 Tuesday, 11 October 2016 SAN CRISTÓBAL ISLAND & PERTO BAQUERIZO An early wakeup call and halls lined with luggage were a clear sign that ship life was coming to an end. But, before disembarkation it was time for a short documentary about the Galápagos for a final review of what we had seen and learnt over the last nine days. Once in Puerto Baquerizo on San Cristóbal Island we visited the interpretive centre and had some free time in town for a final shopping spree, enjoy a snack on the pier or just a relaxing moment on the beach for some reflective thoughts about this incredible place. We bid farewell to Cathy, Sabina and José, and we boarded our plane for our flight back to the Ecuadorian mainland. The four-hour flight took us back to Quito, where it was time to say goodbye to our Aurora leader, Lelia, and all our new found friends. Thank you for joining us on this unforgettable adventure. Hasta luego!

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24 GALÁPAGOS BIRD SPECIES Yellow warbler Brown pelican Brown pelican Brown pelican Swallow-tailed gull Galápagos flycatcher Swallow tailed gull (juvenile) Española mockingbird

25 Magnificent frigate bird Magnificent frigate bird Magnificent frigate bird Swallow-tailed gull Magnificent frigate bird Galápagos penguin Swallow-tailed gull American oystercatcher Galápagos penguin

26 American (Galápagos) flamingo Blue-footed Booby and chick Blue-footed boobies Nazca booby Nazca boobies

27 Blue-footed booby Blue-footed boobies feeding Red-footed Booby Blue-footed booby Blue-footed booby and chick Red-footed booby Nazca booby Blue-footed booby

28 Waved albatross Waved albatross chick Waved albatross Marine iguana & Floreana mockingbird Waved albatross chick Marine iguana & Floreana mockingbird Magnificent frigate bird and chicks Waved albatross

29 GALÁPAGOS WILDLIFE SPECIES Marine iguanas Marine iguanas Marine iguanas Marine iguanas Land iguana Galápagos racer

30 Santa Cruz giant tortoise Marine iguana Galápagos land iguana Santa Cruz giant tortoise Santa Cruz giant tortoise Marine iguana

31 Sally lightfoot crab Land iguana Marine Iguana Sally lightfoot crab Santa Cruz giant tortoise

32 Galápagos sea lion Galápagos sea lion Galápagos sea lion and pup Galápagos sea lion Galápagos sea lion Galápagos sea lion

33 Galápagos sea lion Galápagos sea lion pup Galápagos sea lion Galápagos sea lion and pup Galápagos sea lion

34 EXPEDITIONERS Michael Alscher Jacqui Currie Joyce Leong Barbara Rozowsky Sarah Dow Jill Downie Tatyana Leonov Brian Rozowsky Jack Alscher Paul Dudley Vadim Leonov Sue Stewart Tom Alscher Frances Grant Rachelle Mackintosh Heather Weltman Harry Alscher Annette Haifer Maureen Monks Martin Weltman Ann Carney Glenn Haifer Tim Monks Paul Zimmerman Shane Carney Michael Haifer Darryl Nitschke Julia Zimmerman Jenny Casey Alan James Helen Nitschke Tim Casey Gillian James Vin Plant Bruce Currie Glenda Korporaal Tom Plodr

35 EXPEDITION TEAM PHOTO CREDITS Expedition Leaders: Captain: Hotel Manager: Deck Manager: Chief Engineer: Doctor: Naturalist Guides: Lelia Cataldi Cathy Iturralde Richard Robalino Gerd Rübsam Pablo Rivera René Alvear Roy Romero Sabine Estupiñán José Alejandro Sanchez Lelia Cataldi Jill Downie Paul Dudley Tim Monks Helen Nitschke Paul Zimmerman Ship s log compiled by Lelia Cataldi Paper made from 100% recycled material.

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