Isla
Area: 558 square km
Maximum Altitude:
730 m
Population: 5,500
Geographic features: Beaches, islets, eroded tuff cone,
official capital, green beach
Getting there: EMETEBE airlines, hire a panga, private tour, INGALA ferry between
Getting around: Hiking, snorkeling, panga,
bikes
Observations: Settlement area ,
capital of the islands.
Internet, post office, long distance phone calls, health.
airlines and bank services available.
Puerto Baquerizo
The town of
It is one of two points of departure for tour boats
operating in the islands and nearly half the islands' 50,000 annual tourists
pass through its airport, which has operated since the mid-1980s. The island
has an Ecuadorian Navy base.
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno lies at
the head of
The national Park has offices and a
If you follow the trail out of town you can see Frigatebirds on the small hill to the east.
If you follow the trail to the north-east you can visit an old naval cannon.
El Junco
This is the only large freshwater lake in the Galapagos. It is filled by
rainwater and therefore it's depth varies with the
seasons. It is thus at it's deepest in the rainy season - October to May, with
the highest rainfall usually in April.
This site is reached by road and is about a half hour drive from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The road goes through the small farming
settlement of El Progreso. The lake itself is the
caldera (collapsed cone) of an extinct volcano and is about 300 metres wide. The name El Junco is Spanish for sedge, which
is present along the banks of the lake. You can observe white-cheeked pintail
ducks and common gallinules. Vegetation includes miconia
bushes and endemic tree ferns.
Frigatebird Hill
Also reached from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, Frigatebird Hill is within walking distance (1 km) of the
town. Here one can see nesting colonies of both 'great' and 'magnificent' frigatebirds.
La Galapaguera
It is located on the north coast of the island. The trail leads through an area of volcanic activity. Maybe you can spot a Galapagos Giant Tortoise but the population is very small. In fact you need a whole day for this hike. Don’t forget to bring enough water and good shoes.
The beaches are long and beautiful.
Giant Tortoises
The giant tortoise is, of all the wildlife, the animal that most
symbolizes the
Punta Pitt
Situated on the north eastern tip of the island there is a wet landing
onto the beach. The trail is a steep climb up a cliff path and starts through a
narrow ravine. A number of different birds can be seen here, in particular all
three species of boobies, red-footed, blue-footed and masked. Frigatebirds are present, as are swallow-tailed gulls and
storm petrels. See also hawks and sea lions.
Sea lions
Around 50000 sea lions has live in the
Galapagos, but there can be huge population changes caused by a virus called
pox and a lack of food caused by El Nino. A male bull has his own territory and
can weight to 250 kg. He has his own ‘harem’ which he has to care for. Sea
lions are not afraid to humans.
Boobies
There are three kinds of Boobies: blue-footed boobies, which can be
found in all islands south of the Equator except Genovesa;
red-footed boobies, the smallest booby in Galapagos; and masked boobies, whose
skin at the base of the bill is black, and they are the largest boobies in the
Galapagos. All of them feed in the open sea, well off the shore.
Leon Dormido (Sleeping Lion) or Kicker Rock
While not on the island itself, Leon Dormido
is a rock formation in the sea
Kicker Rock is a remnant of a pyroclastic, or palagonite, cone, i.e., the site of a volcanic eruption that became explosive when lava and seawater mixed. Tens of thousands of years of wind and waves have carved this once conical island into the structure we see today.
It is not possible to land here but a panga
trip can be made between the two rocks which make up the formation. Blue footed
boobies, masked boobies, frigatebirds and sea lions
can be seen here.
Isla Lobos (
A small island, one hour by boat from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. On its rocky shores you find sea lions and
blue-footed boobies in a particularly tranquil and scenic atmosphere.
On approach to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno it is
not unusual to see a school of dolphins swimming alongside your yacht.
*Source:
http://www.galapagosdiscover.com/
http://www.galapagosislands.com/
