Galapagos Islands, Ecuador - San Cristobal, Thursday May 9th 2013
Up until this point, this blog has been a place where I have reviewed and rated various walks made around the UK, however given that we have just spent a week in the Galapagos on a tour organised by a specialist walking tour company - HF Holidays - I felt I could justify stretching the boundaries of the blog a little!
Although there were some great walking components to the holiday, there was probably a little less walking - and a little more snorkelling and kayakking - than we originally expected, however this was still a very special, once-in-a-lifetime experience and the heat of the equator meant that a full-on walking experience would have been downright exhausting.
We started out by flying into the Ecuadorian capital, Quito (the highest capital city in the world), on the Tuesday night, then flying on to the closest Galapagos Island, San Cristobal, the following day.
Our first afternoon on the island was understandably relaxed, consisting of little more than a nice lunch and a walk along the beach to the Loberia (sea lion hangout and great spot for snorkelling and surfing). There were a few sea lions and a stationary turtle on the beach, plus lots of (sadly unphotographable) tropical fish in the sea and the walking component of the day was limited to a stroll back to town along the very quiet road, with a fleeting glimpse of a short-eared owl.
We were part of a sociable and predominantly female group of 14, mainly Brits, with a few Americans and Canadians, a very attentive and knowledgeable Ecuadorian guide, Xavier, and local guides on each island (today's guide: David, whose "it's gonna be super-awesome guys" patter was ever so slightly incongruous).
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