We spent a fortnight in the amazing Galapagos Islands. The World ARC organisers had obtained cruising permits which allowed us to visit 4 ports in the Archipelago; Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on the island of San Cristobal; Puerto Velasco Ibarra on Floreana; Puerto Villamil on Islabela and finally Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz.

The vast majority of each of the islands are designated as National Parks and many of the island are completely off limits to cruisers or tourist. In the first week we visited San Cristobal and Floreana

San Cristobal

The small bustling town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno at the Western end of the island was our base for the first few days. There is just the one short road passing through the only other village on the island and ending at a beach on the south west coast. The wildlife is dominated by the sealions in the town with the amazing sight, in shallow water right off the dock, where the young pups play and are trained to hunt. The island also has an abundance of birdlife including Pelicans and Frigate Birds

Apart from the snorkelling tour in the previous post we also took a trip into the island to see the Giant Tortoises. These gentle giants have no local predators and can live to over 100 years old. There are believed to be a couple of thousand roaming wild on the island but the conservationists also have a “nursery” where the young Tortoises can be reared for about 3-4 months in a protected reserve.

The visiting yachts were welcomed by the captain of the “armada”, the local navy and port authorities, albeit we had a long “debate” with them as several of the yachts (including us) were anchored in the path that the coastguard vessel usually take to leave. It was a little surprising to hear this given the 11 representatives of every local authority who’d been on board to check us in without complaint. We declined to move after an evening in the bar but shifted our location at dawn.

Floreana

Our next stop was Floreana, this small island, a day sail from San Cristobal, was only opened up to tourist last year so it’s not set up with tour guides unlike the other islands.

We were given a tour of part of the island by a local farmer who showed us his house, farm, livestock. The tour was interrupted by torrential downpour so he took us in for drinks at the farm and left us loaded with fresh pineapples and eggs.

In the afternoon we took a short boat ride round to Post Office Bay. Due to its supply of fresh water, plants, and animals, Floreana was a favourite stop for whalers and other visitors to the Galapagos. Since the 19th century, whalers kept a wooden barrel here, so that mail could be picked up and delivered to their destination by ships on their way home. Cards and letters are still placed in the barrel without any postage. Visitors sift through the letters and cards in order to deliver them by hand. leave their own postcards and take those which they might be able to help on their way. We’ve posted a few back in the UK this week, it may be that the recipients might like to leave a comment below since we wrote a link to the blog on the cards!

On the way back we also saw the Blue Footed Booby, with the most amazing sky-blue feet and one of the other symbols of the islands.

The island recently became better known as the subject for the true story of German settler Friedrich Ritter who was the first person on the island in 1929. His letters home were published in the German press and attracted another family, the Wittmers, and the subsequent arrival of the enigmatic “Baroness” Eloise Wagner de Bosquet and her two lovers.

All were avoiding the state of post-WW1 Germany. The ensuing interactions developed into a somewhat dramatic tale of murder, mystery and intrigue. It was the subject of a documentary The Galapagos Affair, was released in 2013, and a fictionalized film Eden  starring Jude Law and Ana de Armas. Earlier in the day we had seen the ruins of their original settlement and rock dwellings.

In the evening we stayed ashore for cocktails at the only hotel on the island which is still run by the Ingrid Wittmer, the descendant of the original settlers. Her view is that the documentary was 70% accurate and Eden about 50/50. Perhaps watch it yourselves?