We flew from Quito to the Galápagos on November 23. The process for entering starts in the Quito airport: getting a TCT (transit control card) with your dates on the islands, passport info, and flight information in/out). Then we printed baggage tags and then went to a separate location to declare our belongings/any sort of food or camping gear) and have our bags scanned. When we deplaned, we had to declare again, pay the entrance fee to the Galapagos, and scan our carry on bags again. Our guide met us at the airport and we took the bus to the ferry between Baltra and Santa Cruz islands. There were crabs climbing the wall and skittering across the pier and sea lions basking that we had to avoid stepping on as we got off the boat.
Flight from Quito to the Galápagos
Once we arrived in Santa Cruz, we drove through the highlands to Rancho Primicias for lunch and observing the Galápagos giant tortoises. We saw 85 tortoises just driving to the ranch and 208 tortoises total. It was their breeding season, so they were very slowly making their way to the beach to lay and bury their eggs before heading back to higher ground in the spring.
Lunch and Walk around Tortoise Sanctuary
Following the tortoise sanctuary, we took a tour of the lava tunnels. These tunnels were formed by lava cooling following a volcanic eruption.
Lava Tunnel Tour
