Wonders of the Galápagos

A Sally Lightfoot Crab crawls across the lava flows of Santiago Island.

A Galapagos Brown Pelican takes off on Bachas Beach.

Flamingos in the Galapagos are genetically indistinct from those on the mainland, though they are often more colorful due to their diet.

A great blue heron stretches on Bachas Beach.

A sea lion pup lays in the sun while his mother hunts

A “Christmas” marine iguana on Española Island. Each island’s iguanas have different colors; Española’s are the most colorful.

Marine iguanas jockey for position in the sun.

A sea lion pup scratches at the flies that attack it. Flies are introduced to the islands, but most do not cause significant impact on the delicate balance of the environment.

A Christmas marine iguana

Nazca boobies examine the camera.

A baby penguin lands on the beach of Floreana Island.

A sally lightfoot crab shows off its bright colors. The stark contrast to the black lava on which it lives would put many creatures in danger, but the crabs have few predators after youth.

The M/Y Evolution sits in harbor.

The palo santo tree is the most successful on the islands. Its wood has a sweet scent that acts as a natural mosquito repellant.

A frigate bird flies overhead. It’s uninflected throat pouch is easily visible.

The water of the Galapagos is very clear.

Even in the rainy season, the islands do not get heavy rainfalls. Instead, the clouds produce some amazing sunrises.

Pikaia Lodge sits in the highlands of Santa Cruz and is positioned in such a way that almost all of the other islands are visible from the property.

Since undertaking a massive operation to clear most of the islands of the invasive rats, cats and goats, tortoise populations have risen. While they are still not back to what they were pre-human arrival, they are no longer considered endangered.

A monarch butterfly rests on a scorpion tail flower.

The hike up Bartolomé now follows a boardwalk, as the rising number of tourists were beginning to damage the volcanic landscape.

The view from the top of Bartolomé shows off just about every landscape to be found in the islands.

A frigate bird with its throat pouch recently deflated (it takes about an hour to inflate fully and half an hour to deflate)

A land iguana on North Seymour. Invasive species had previously wiped out the population on this island, but they were reintroduced following the eradication programs on the island.

The eye of a land iguana

During the mating season, a land iguana’s territory can be up to 70 square yards. On hot days, they often fight over shade.

A swallow-tail gull.

Two baby sea lions play.

Pikaia Lodge is constructed using lava, which can only be taken from the islands in particular places. The geology of the land is protected in the national park and cannot be damaged.

The colorful construction of San Cristobal, one of two larger population centers in the island.