Day 6: Tortoises and Sea Kayaking

This morning after breakfast we took another boat back to Santa Cruz Island. There were seats for us all on the boats, but not all of them were inside. It was so choppy that one of the kids who was in an exposed seat put on his goggles. I was in the covered part of the boat so I avoided the water, but it was still a bumpy ride!

When we arrived, we went on a short hike to see wild tortoises. There were about a dozen tortoises eating grass and sitting in the mud and we were able to get very close. It was really amazing to see them in their natural habitat!

Later, we descended through some ferns into an underground lava tunnel. It was tall enough to stand up in and we were able to walk all the way through to the other side. It is similar to ones that can be found in Hawaii. After that we had lunch in the restaurant that was there to serve people who were seeing the tortoises. I I had seafood pasta, which was delicious!

After lunch we hiked to one of the prettiest beaches in Galapagos, Tortuga Bay. My two friends and I rented a sea kayak and took it around the bay. We saw black tipped sharks, which are about 4 feet long. Some other people from our group were also kayaking and told us there was a cool bird in the mangroves. We paddled over, curious about what it was. It turned out to be a heron sitting on a nest. Suddenly the current pushed us into the mangroves, very close to this mama bird. The heron stood up and started clacking its beak at us. When she stood up we were able to see her eggs. They were blue and looked like giant robin’s eggs. We freaked out and madly tried to paddle away, screaming the whole time. Looking back it sounds funny but at the time it was scary.

Once we had calmed down, we began paddling into the middle of the bay. Another boat motioned to us and told us there were lots of rays close by. We were soon surrounded by 14 eagle rays. It was so cool to see them so close. We might have watched them forever, but a small head popping up a little closer to the mangroves caught our attention. We paddled closer and realized it was a sea turtle! We saw a few different sea turtles and one swam right under our kayak! It was incredible that the animals there are tame enough to come so close to you.

This might have been my favorite part of the whole trip!

I haven’t mentioned yet that my dear friend Libby was with me on this trip, which made it even more special.  I have known her since we were in 2nd grade, and have been through so many good times and a few hard times, too.  I was happy to be able to room with her and our new friend, Eve.

This day was Libby’s 16th birthday.  She was so excited to be spending her birthday in the Galapagos. After dinner, we enjoyed eating some cake, and then the hotel wait staff brought out a big cake and we sang Happy Birthday to her and Connor, another trip mate who also had a birthday.  Analu told them it’s tradition for them to take a bite out of the side of the cake. And when they did, she pushed their faces into the cake! That is, apparently, also part of the tradition! Libby liked the attention and also the cake. It was a memorable birthday, that’s for sure, and it was fun to share this day with her.

More photos below: