Ecuador 2017: Gálapagos: Día 2 - Reset

I was picked up early by someone from the travel agency and escorted to the main office. The agency was sympathetic to what had happened and offered me a new itinerary for the rest of my stay in the Galapagos. They also covered the cost of my hotel and food.

After visiting the travel agency, I was escorted to a restaurant where I was schduled to eat my lunch and dinners for the upcoming days. The food was OK.

After lunch, I walked around the main part of the city and visited the docks. From these docks you could take ferries to other islands like Isabela Island or San Cristobal. I was excited to see the sea lions sleeping on the benches and the iguanas resting. You definately don't see that everyday (unless you're in the Galapagos!).

My schedule today was to visit the Highlands of Santa Cruz Island. The highlands is a contrast of the beaches and sea life of the Galapagos and includes a visit to the twin craters of Los Gemelos, a trip to a turtle reserve and walk through lava tunnels. I was expecting to be in a group but it was just me and a taxi driver who drove me around.. oh well :/

Los Gemelos
Los Gemelos was about a 40 minute drive from Puerto Ayora. I learned that the craters were formed when lava would collect in a pool and cooled down. The cooling effect caused the ground to sink and form the craters. I learned about this from reading the signs :/

El Chato - Turtle Farm
There are two types of turtles in the Galapagos - land and sea turtles. El Chato is one of many turtle sanctuaries on the island where really big land tortoises hang out. You can walk through their natural grounds where they live and play. Some of these turtles were gigantic!

Lava Tunnels
The Lava Tunnels were a short ride away from El Chato. It's amazing to think these tunnels were formed by lava. It was pretty interesting to walk through them. At one point of the tunnel, you needed to crawl on your belly through a small area.