Flying to the Islands was easy, straight from Quito to Guayaquil then Guayaquil to Baltra Island. Baltra is a tiny, uninhabited, ex US military Island just off the north coast of Santa Cruz, the second largest and most populated of the Islands (although at larger than the Isle of Wight but with a population of just 12,000 it doesn't feel bustling by any means!). Flying into the Islands is an exciting moment, you've spent several hours on a small plane and well and truly left the tropical mainland shores and a far out in the pacific ocean when some small landmasses emerge from the azure sea. As the aircraft circles around it feels like your'e being dropped off on Isla Sorna (the Island in the second Jurassic Park movie where dinosaurs have been allowed to roam free). A lost world where animals not found anywhere else on the planet can be found.
When you get off the plane you notice the heat, it was a little cloudy when we arrived yet the full force of tropical temperatures hit us the moment when we stepped off the plane, amplified by the eery lava formed Baltra Island, thats landscape sits flat and dry punctuated by tall cacti. In the distance you can see the rising mass of Santa Cruz's tropical forests.
Upon arrival at Baltra you must pay $100 to then gain entry to the Islands (cheaper if you are Ecuadorean or free if you are a resident) as a Kind of park conservation fee. Following this you catch a free airport bus down to the ferry dock and catch a 5 minute ferry for a dollar fifty which takes you too a car park on the other side, where you will find a barrage of buses and taxis ready to take you into Puerto Ayora, on the other side of the Island. Bus, $2, taxi $20 ish. On the Islands you end up paying out for everything, but being one of the remotest places on earth centred around the tourism business I say fair enough.
There are loads of hotels and hostels to choose from in Puerto Ayora, we pre booked (advisable for such a popular place) but one of the cheaper options. Lots of the tourists here have much larger budgets than we did so many of the hotels are upmarket and very expensive. We went with Galapagos Best Home Stay, at $20 a night per person in a 4 bed shared room it was good value, and Kevin who owns it is possibly one of the friendliest guys on the planet and happy to help you out with anything you need. The open lounge/reception area is fine, with use of a computer all day and night (although there is wifi). You can have clean towels every day, there is hot water and air con in the rooms and a constant supply of fresh drinking water (the water out here is not fit for drinking, it also makes your hair a little dry). The rooms have perfectly comfy beds and each has a small kitchen area, perfect for morning coffee or making something too eat if you were on a tighter budget than even us! The only complaint people have is that it's a bit further from the centre of town than other hostels. I personally wouldn't call a 10 minute walk far.
By the time we'd flown to the Islands, travelled to Puerto Ayora and checked into the hostel it was early afternoon so we headed out to the nearby Charles Darwin Research Station. Named after worlds most famous naturalist and geologist who did extensive research on the Islands, the Station is not only the workplace of over 100 scientific professionals from all over the world but also a park open to the public which houses a number of rare species to aid conservation, and a turtle nursery. The station includes mangroves, a small beach and cactus forests. It's great as an introduction to the Galapagos, with plenty of information dotted around the centre about Galapagos wildlife. This was once also the home of Lonesome George, celebrity turtle who was sadly the last of his species, the Pinta Island tortoise.
Later in the evening after the station we went for a little look around town. Puerto Ayora is naturally very touristy, however in quite a nice way and remains quite charming. What I did not expect was just how abundant the Galapagos wildlife would be. Even in the middle of town flocks of giant pelicans rest in the trees, seals pester the vendors at the local fishmarket for scraps, Iguanas sunbathe and bright red and orange crabs scuttle over sea walls. I can honestly say i've never seen a town like it and it certainly provides a bit more interest than the seagulls eyeing up my fish and chips in my home town!
Following a drink and a bite to eat we went back to to the hostel, and after a chat with our lovely new Chilean roomie Priscilla, we dropped of to sleep pretty sharpish ready for the next days activities!
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