We visited the Galapagos from 6-13 December, sailing aboard the catamaran NEMO III. We flew in to Baltra Island airport where the boat was waiting 5 minutes away by shuttle bus. We started our first outing on North Seymour Island, just north of Baltra. Each day typically had two landings and one or two snorkel expeditions. On land, we got to see animals and birds we wouldn't otherwise see - except sea lions. Iguanas (land and marine), lizards, tortoises, crabs; boobies, frigate birds, Darwin finches, warblers, Mockingbirds, pelicans, tropic birds, etc. in the air. In the water, we got to swim with sea lions and see sharks, turtles and myriad tropical fish. Swimming with the sea lions was a delight - they seemed entirely bent on play. Access is strictly controlled by the Parks Service, with Santa Cruz the only inhabited island. The Service tells the tour operators 2 years ahead where their outings will be and limits the number of people on any island at a given time. Mostly we were the only ones on the islands we visited. And even there, we were restricted to specific trails. A morality tale is to have backup technology. The battery on my main camera died; fortunately I had brought a spare. My underwater camera shorted out on the last afternoon of the trip.

Click a picture to see a larger view.