Moved to Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island.
Today, I am moving to the Galapagos Islands.
This is my first time, and I don't know the area, so I decided to stay in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, which is a popular spot.
The airline is TAME. The one-way fare is around $160, which is about 56,000 yen for a round trip.
The prices are similar, so there probably isn't much price competition.
I left most of my luggage at the hotel in Quito and only brought the bare minimum.
It costs $1 per day to store a motorcycle and $1 per day to store luggage, but that's not a big deal.
In the morning, I went to the airport by the hotel's car, and after checking in at the airport, I entered the lounge, but I probably left my Priority Pass card there. I messed up. It's an important item for using the lounge.
And then, to the Galapagos.
From the airport, there are several transfers needed to reach Santa Cruz Island.
1. First, take a free bus to the pier on the small island where the airport is located.
2. From the pier, take a short ferry, which is more like a boat, to the other side. It costs $1.
3. The other shore is Santa Cruz Island. Since we are on the north side, to go to the town of Puerto Ayora on the south side, you can take a bus for 2 dollars, or you can use a taxi.
Then, I got on a bus and arrived at the lodging.
Cormorant Lodging House
Twin room, single occupancy, 4 nights: US$105 (approximately 12,700 yen).
That's about 3,175 yen per night.
I heard that the Galapagos Islands are a place where wealthy people come, but the town itself doesn't seem to be that way.
There are many backpackers and wealthy locals from Guayaquil, and I think the truly wealthy people are probably being picked up at the airport by tours or cruises and going directly to the ships.
I was planning to get a lot of US$100 bills in this town, but I only had about 5 at the lodging, and only a few at the diving shop I was going to participate in later. It's frustrating that even though ATMs dispense a lot of US$20 bills, I couldn't exchange them for US$100 bills anywhere. Ecuador is really like that, I thought. Apparently, almost no one accepts US$100 bills, and they seem to only be usable at luxury hotels or shops in the Galapagos Islands.
I read in other blogs that it's easy to get US$100 bills when you come to the Galapagos Islands, but maybe that's just luck, or maybe it's because they were staying at a relatively good hotel, or maybe it's a seasonal thing. Or maybe ATMs used to dispense US$100 bills? I'm not sure, but I only managed to get about 10 US$100 bills during my 4-day stay. Sigh. My expectations were not met.
This is my first time, and I don't know the area, so I decided to stay in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, which is a popular spot.
The airline is TAME. The one-way fare is around $160, which is about 56,000 yen for a round trip.
The prices are similar, so there probably isn't much price competition.
I left most of my luggage at the hotel in Quito and only brought the bare minimum.
It costs $1 per day to store a motorcycle and $1 per day to store luggage, but that's not a big deal.
In the morning, I went to the airport by the hotel's car, and after checking in at the airport, I entered the lounge, but I probably left my Priority Pass card there. I messed up. It's an important item for using the lounge.
And then, to the Galapagos.
From the airport, there are several transfers needed to reach Santa Cruz Island.
1. First, take a free bus to the pier on the small island where the airport is located.
2. From the pier, take a short ferry, which is more like a boat, to the other side. It costs $1.
3. The other shore is Santa Cruz Island. Since we are on the north side, to go to the town of Puerto Ayora on the south side, you can take a bus for 2 dollars, or you can use a taxi.
Then, I got on a bus and arrived at the lodging.
Cormorant Lodging House
Twin room, single occupancy, 4 nights: US$105 (approximately 12,700 yen).
That's about 3,175 yen per night.
I heard that the Galapagos Islands are a place where wealthy people come, but the town itself doesn't seem to be that way.
There are many backpackers and wealthy locals from Guayaquil, and I think the truly wealthy people are probably being picked up at the airport by tours or cruises and going directly to the ships.
I was planning to get a lot of US$100 bills in this town, but I only had about 5 at the lodging, and only a few at the diving shop I was going to participate in later. It's frustrating that even though ATMs dispense a lot of US$20 bills, I couldn't exchange them for US$100 bills anywhere. Ecuador is really like that, I thought. Apparently, almost no one accepts US$100 bills, and they seem to only be usable at luxury hotels or shops in the Galapagos Islands.
I read in other blogs that it's easy to get US$100 bills when you come to the Galapagos Islands, but maybe that's just luck, or maybe it's because they were staying at a relatively good hotel, or maybe it's a seasonal thing. Or maybe ATMs used to dispense US$100 bills? I'm not sure, but I only managed to get about 10 US$100 bills during my 4-day stay. Sigh. My expectations were not met.
Santa Cruz Island, Puerto Ayora.
This is a small town, but there are many animals around the harbor.
In particular, it is interesting to see the seals lounging around the harbor as if they own the place.
In particular, it is interesting to see the seals lounging around the harbor as if they own the place.
Charles Darwin Research Station, surrounding seaside area.
I went to the Charles Darwin Research Station, but it was unclear where to start, so I went to the sea.
There weren't any particularly amazing things, but there were a lot of marine iguanas.
There weren't any particularly amazing things, but there were a lot of marine iguanas.
Charles Darwin Institute.
The Charles Darwin Research Station is a famous institution. Admission is free.
However, there isn't much to see there, except perhaps the giant tortoises.
You can see giant tortoises in many places throughout the Galapagos Islands, so it feels more like a place to stop by for a souvenir photo.
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However, there isn't much to see there, except perhaps the giant tortoises.
You can see giant tortoises in many places throughout the Galapagos Islands, so it feels more like a place to stop by for a souvenir photo.
BGM: Copyright(C)Music PaletteDiving in the Galapagos.
Today, I'm going diving.
The Galapagos Islands are expensive, but two boat dives cost $160 (approximately 19,300 yen).
The price for diving isn't cheap, but it's not outrageously expensive. Considering that it's the Galapagos Islands, I suppose it's understandable.
I drove to the north of Santa Cruz Island, and then took a boat from there.
This time, I suffered from seasickness more than ever before... Well, these things happen. I feel more comfortable in the water than on the boat.
In the ocean, I saw various things, but they weren't as distinctive as what I see on land.
- Galapagos sharks (many)
- Sea turtles (many)
- Sea lions (most were sleeping on rocks, and unfortunately, I couldn't swim with them. I swam with them later at a different location during snorkeling)
- Barracuda (swimming alone)
- A large school of fish similar to barracuda
- Many tropical fish
The Galapagos Islands are expensive, but two boat dives cost $160 (approximately 19,300 yen).
The price for diving isn't cheap, but it's not outrageously expensive. Considering that it's the Galapagos Islands, I suppose it's understandable.
I drove to the north of Santa Cruz Island, and then took a boat from there.
This time, I suffered from seasickness more than ever before... Well, these things happen. I feel more comfortable in the water than on the boat.
In the ocean, I saw various things, but they weren't as distinctive as what I see on land.
- Galapagos sharks (many)
- Sea turtles (many)
- Sea lions (most were sleeping on rocks, and unfortunately, I couldn't swim with them. I swam with them later at a different location during snorkeling)
- Barracuda (swimming alone)
- A large school of fish similar to barracuda
- Many tropical fish
Isabela Island 1-day tour.
I participated in a one-day tour from Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island to Isabela Island.
I visited several travel agencies, but most of them were around $85 for the cheapest option and $95 for a slightly better boat. There were also some that cost $120, but I'm not sure if the service was different, or if it was the same. I couldn't really tell the difference, so I chose the cheapest one.
If you simply buy a one-way ticket, it's about $30, so considering that the $85 includes round-trip transportation, island transportation, lunch, and snorkeling equipment rental, it seems like a reasonable price.
The travel agency recommended that I take motion sickness medication before walking from the agency to the port, so I bought two doses for the round trip. It cost 50 cents (about 60 yen).
Anyway, we departed from the Puerto Ayora port.
It took about two and a half hours, which was quite long, and it shook a lot, but we finally arrived.
With these waves, it might have been tough without motion sickness medication.
The Isabella port was quite lively with many animals.
It's a penguin, despite being right near the equator. That's surprising.
Seals are swimming in various places.
Penguins are also swimming.
Under this roof, a sea otter is taking a nap.
On the road, I saw an asika (a type of animal) sleeping soundly in the daytime.
It is very funny to see someone sleeping on a bench.
First, I went to see the flamingos.
However, it seems they are an introduced species.
Next, we are going to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center.
Even though the population has decreased, you can see them in various places.
After a short visit to the beach, lunch.
After that, we went snorkeling near the harbor.
There were several seals, and they swam with us.
At 2:30, it was time to leave. We had to drive back for another 2.5 hours. Day trips are hectic. We should have stayed overnight and gone to the mountains.
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Tortuga crossing private ecological reserve.
This morning, I rented a taxi and went to the Giant Tortoise conservation center on the west side of Santa Cruz Island.
The taxi charter was $35 for 3 hours.
After driving for about 30 minutes, we arrived at the conservation area, and giant tortoises could be seen peeking out around the area.
It seems to be a protected area for wild animals, and they seem to be somewhat wary of humans compared to those in captivity.
There is a small cave here, and although it's not exactly an exploration, you can enjoy a little bit of cave exploration.
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Santa Cruz Island, Los Gemelos (Highland).
After visiting the giant turtle conservation center, I came to Los Gemelos, which is called "Highland."
This seems to be the site of a crater. It's quite impressive.
This seems to be the site of a crater. It's quite impressive.
Santa Cruz Island, Tortuga Bay.
I visited Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz Island.
It is located about 45 minutes away by walking on the sidewalk from the outskirts of town.
Along the way, there were many birds, and there were many birds and marine iguanas on the beach.
However, although the name is "Turtle" Beach, there were no turtles.
Perhaps they used to be there, or maybe it was a seasonal thing, or maybe they just weren't there today.
I visited Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz Island.
It is located about 45 minutes away by walking on the sidewalk from the outskirts of town.
Along the way, there were many birds, and there were many birds and marine iguanas on the beach.
However, although the name is "Turtle" Beach, there were no turtles.
Perhaps they used to be there, or maybe it was a seasonal thing, or maybe they just weren't there today.