Let’s GO, GO, GO to the Galapagos Island of Isabela!!!

Story by Eden Washington, 6th grade FNN reporter at Friendship PCS Online. 
Photos from Google.

March 8, 2021.  Well, I’m here in the Galapagos Islands on the island of Isabela, and all I can see is open, beautiful landscapes, white sand, palm trees, and several brackish-water lagoons.  Guess I’d better get my hiking shoes on.  I did not fully understand that keeping the flora and fauna of the island was so involved until now.  I personally think it is better to purchase new shoes to tour this national treasure.  Aside from having a reason to buy some new kicks, it keeps down the mixing of foreign bacteria that could be toxic to the plants and animals here.  Isabela Island is home to the Blue Footed Booby and the Galapagos Giant Tortoise to name a couple of native wildlife creatures. I am now off to tour the rest of the island.   

So I’m chill’n down here on the equator and it’s hot.  Cottons and linens are most comfortable along with closed toe walking shoes or sneakers.  My first stop is the beach so I can take in all of the wonderful hues of crystal bluish, turquoise water and I am greeted by a colorful lively bunch of flamingos. I did not know that flamingos came in any other color besides shades of pink.  They can also be in shades of yellow, red and orange.  Many flamingos are found here in the smaller lagoons used periodically for breeding and/or feeding.  

A little further along the beach I stopped to do a two-step with a few Blue Footed Boobies. They too nest in the Galapagos Islands for breeding purposes.  Their blue feet are actually a sexually selected trait that the males use for mating. Dancing is a part of their mating ritual, as well as snuggling with female boobies, and showing the girth of their wingspan.  The Galapagos is a safe place for these and other endemic animals because their only real threat are humans who may overfish and leave them with little food. They are also fierce hunters when it comes to diving for food.  They can spot their prey in the water from as high as 328 feet in the air and dive as low as 82 feet.  It is more common to find them hunting in groups as opposed to hunting alone.  “The blue-footed booby usually lays one to three eggs at a time. The species practices asynchronous hatching, in contrast to many other species whereby incubation begins when the last egg is laid and all chicks hatch together.  This results in a growth inequality and size disparity between siblings, leading to facultative siblicide in times of food scarcity.  This makes the blue-footed booby an important model for studying parent-offspring conflict and sibling rivalry.”  All that aside, they are super cute animals and very interesting to watch.  Remind me to show you the dance the Boobies and I choreographed when I get back, LOL.

I love that the animals are not afraid of me, however, that didn’t prevent me from stopping in my tracks when I saw a giant tortoise.  Excuse me while I pause to catch my breath.   Here I stand while this giant tortoise is looking at me, and I am looking at it…and then it pulls its head into its shell.  I can take that one of two ways.  Either it does not want to be bothered, or it wants to play peek-a-boo.  Either way is fine by me.  In case you are wondering just how big these giant tortoises get, they can grow as long as five feet or more, and weigh over 900 lbs.  They are vegetarians, so you don’t have to worry much about being conquered by a turtle.  Though if you are brave enough to try feeding one of these giant reptiles, watch your fingers because they can snap off your limb to get a carrot.  I’ll pass on that, as I fully intend to leave the island the way that I came with all my phalanges in-tact.  These reptiles can live a long time too, some have lived for more than 170 years.

Isabela Island is one of 19 landmasses forming an archipelago straddling the equator about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador.  If you love nature watching, science, or history, this place is ripe with one-of-a-kind species of various plants and animals. It is the largest of the islands that form what is known as the Galapagos Islands.  

The islands are home to endemic (native and restricted to a certain place) plants and animals, thus the reason so many are curious about its inhabitants. The islands became Ecuador’s first National Park in 1959, and the Ecuadorians are extremely proud of being the custodians of the Galapagos Islands. In 1978, UNESCO named the islands a World Heritage Site. More than 275,000 people visit the Galapagos every year to see the fascinating animals and breathtaking landscape.  Another reason why so many are drawn to this vibrant archipelago is Charles Darwin, an English naturalist, known for his contributions to science and the theory of evolution. When Darwin landed on the Galapagos Islands, he noted that there were a large number of species that were perfectly adapted to their surroundings on each island.  “The geography and geology that created the conditions for animals to evolve to become endemic,” is what led to Darwin’s observations and book, “The Origin of Species”. According to  Kellsey Golias blog, Why travel to Galapagos on galapagosislands.com, “Darwin’s book, turned scientific theory on the origin of life on its head and in doing so ensured that the Galapagos Islands, Darwin and the Theory of Evolution will always be inextricably linked.”  There are plenty of other attractions to see here as well, but getting there takes some strategy.

Ready for your trip?  Getting to the island can be rather pricey, but it doesn’t have to be with proper planning.  Before arriving, it is helpful to know what types of activities in which you may want to engage.  Knowing this detail will save a lot of time and money getting to and from your destination.  Departing flights from BWI to Isla Baltra range from $815 - $1046 round trip if you plan at least three months in advance.  Flight durations last from 17 hours to up to 33 hours with up to 3 layovers.  A negative RT-PCR test for COVID-19 is required within 96 hours of arrival to the islands.  Before leaving the airport for your humble island abode, you will need to pay $100 per person for entrance to the Galapagos National Park, and $20 per person for a transit card.  You will want to handle this transit fee at the Quito or Guayaquil airport during the layover.  It will save you hours getting through customs at the Isla Baltra airport.  The official currency is the US dollar, and everything is CASH, so bring plenty of it, in small denominations. The official language is Spanish, but since many people visit from around the world, and a lot of natives are multilingual, you may get lucky and meet an Ecuadorian who speaks English.  From the Baltra Island airport you will purchase a mandatory bus ticket ($5 per person).  The bus will take you to the south side of the island, where you will board a transit boat ($1 per person).  After you arrive on Isabela by boat, you will have a choice to get on another bus ($5) or take a taxi to Villamil, the main city on Isabela Island.  Take a taxi, ($25 – 30), because you will be dropped off at your hotel instead of the bus station. Bring all of your necessary toiletries, but be sure to have grooming items in travel size, because they may or may not have your favorite item(s). …And if they do have it in the store, it is imported and pricey, VERY pricey. 

I sure wish I could take some of these beautiful flowers back to the states, but that is strictly forbidden because it’s a National Park and because of the UNESCO designation, so I’ll have to be content with pictures and memories.  I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting what UNESCO describes as a, “unique living museum and showcase of evolution.”

Eden Washington is a 6th grade scholar at Friendship PCS Online.