Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador

Charles Darwin Research Station Interpretive Trail: [February 2002] The Charles Darwin Research Station, located on the island of Santa Cruz, is one of two places where you can see the giant tortoises for which the Galápagos Islands were named. The hike begins at the Information Booth at the entrance to the station, from there a trail leads through a grove of Opuntia Cactus to the Van Straelen Interpretation Center—a great place to learn about the conservation efforts and geology of the islands. The hike then continues from the visitor center to the tortoise-rearing pens, where predator proof enclosures hold batches of tiny giant tortoises separated by age—they are even cuter when they are babies. After visiting with the young tortoises, continue hiking along a raised boardwalk towards the tortoise corrals, where you will get your first glimpse of fully grown giant tortoises, perhaps even the famous Lonesome George. Lonesome George, most likely the last living member of the Isla Pinta subspecies, is thought to be nearly 80 years old and he resides right here at the CDRS. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see him while we were hiking, but he is in good health and has a lifespan of nearly 200 years old, so hopefully we will be back within that time frame for another chance. Even though George eluded us, we were able to see several other adult tortoises feeding and interacting with one another. At the end of the walkway, there is an enclosure with several friendly tortoises that you can get up close and personal with, but be careful not to touch them or walk on their feeding platform. Walking on the feeding platform can make the tortoises ill, so make every effort to avoid inadvertently trodding across this section of the enclosure. Once we were within the enclosure, Pick, Doc, and I took turns posing with these amazing creatures, it was a moment we will always remember.

NBH Tip: Near the exit, you will find a CDRS souvenir shop that is a must-shop stop, because this is the only place in the Galápagos Islands where you can buy clothes or other souvenirs with the Charles Darwin Research Station logo, and all proceeds from sales go directly to the station. So be sure to buy something, thereby helping to maintain the trails and protect the giant tortoises and other flora and fauna of the islands.

 

Floreana Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador

Punta Cormorant to Flour Beach: [February 2002] The island of Floreana is best known for its olivine beach, a combination of volcanic black sand and olivine crystals that give the sand a greenish tinge. Upon landing at Punta Cormorant’s green sand beach, we set out to explore the area by first hiking along the shoreline littered with urchins, and then setting off towards a trail that leads to a flamingo lagoon. This large salt-water lagoon is home to several Greater Flamingos, whose feathers are extraordinarily pink—the pinkest in the wild, thanks to their rich diet of shrimp containing a high concentration of beta carotene. We observed several flamingos feeding in the lagoon, along with stilts and pintail ducks before continuing over a rise to a powdery stretch of white sand, known as Flour Beach. As we stepped out onto the fine white sand, we were caught in a mass exodus of hundreds of little ghost crabs; it was comical the way they scurried off in every direction towards their sandy homes. All that was left in their absence were hundreds of tiny round balls of sand, which are actually called crab balls, a remnant of their feeding behavior. In addition, the sand was marked with tons of green sea turtle tracks, several of which were still swimming in the gentle surf just off the beach after coming ashore to lay their eggs. We explored Flour Beach for awhile and then returned to the trail back towards Punta Cormorant, this time via a path which took us even closer to the flamingos. Surrounding the lagoon are several of the steep, palo santo covered hills that dot Floreana—the stark, gray color and the twisted, barren branches of the palo santo trees give an eerie feeling to this island. As is the case with every stop in the Galapagos, Floreana was a brilliant example of nature at its finest.

NBH Tip: Access to Punta Cormorant is via a wet landing, meaning that sea craft are forbidden from landing directly on shore. Therefore, the panga must stop out in the water, not far from shore, to let passengers disembark. An important fact to consider when deciding on shoe choices and how to pack your backpack!

 

South Plaza Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador

South Plaza: [February 2002] A hike on South Plaza usually begins with hikers attempting to avoid pissing off the resident sea lion colony who have taken over the landing pier, making it a dicey place to exit from a boat. Once you manage to maneuver around the huge barking sea lion bulls, you instantly step into a scene out of the Jurassic Era—huge bright yellow land iguanas are everywhere you look. These brightly colored reptiles are usually seen basking and feeding under large Opuntia cactus trees—their main source of food. Apparently, each Opuntia belongs to a certain group of land iguanas, who defend it as their territory. The hiking trail, marked with black and white cairns, leads the hiker right through the heart of land iguana territory, and the wildlife is so abundant and tame that you have to watch where you step. Many animals, such as sea lions, land iguanas, marine iguanas, and lava lizards, lie right in the middle of the trail, so that you literally have to step over them to get to your destination—this makes for a naturalist’s and photographer’s paradise! Continuing along the path, you arrive at a bird-watcher’s paradise, a sheer cliff that brings you eye level with soaring and nesting lava gulls, frigate birds, and red-billed tropicbirds. We watched for several minutes as lava gull pairs, mates for life, cuddled together on the cliffs and as magnificent tropicbirds soared past. The remainder of the hike took us further along the edge of the cliff, where a bachelor colony of sea lions like to hang out—only one large male was still basking in the sun at the top of cliff, and he looked at us like he owned the place, which indeed he did. The last leg of the trail affords the hiker with fabulous views of the landscape. As you descend from the cliff back down to the water’s edge you are able to look out over the sesuvium ground cover, also known as sea purslane, a brilliant red colored succulent that combined with the tree-sized Opuntia makes for a dramatic scene.

NBH Tip: You might think that a telephoto lens is the best way to capture the wildlife of South Plaza Island, but in reality, the animals are so close that lenses over 200mm end up being overkill. So feel free to leave the heavy hitters on the boat, making for a nice light backpack.

 

Espanola (Hood) Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador

Punta Suarez Loop Trail: [February 2002] Espanola, or Hood Island, is a naturalist’s fantasy come true—along the island’s loop trail you will encounter a variety of animals including sea lions, Marine iguanas, Lava lizards, Hood Island mockingbirds, Waved Albatross, Blue-footed boobies, Masked (or Nazca) boobies, and even the Galapagos dove. In addition to the wildlife, the geology of the island itself is reason enough to be impressed. Features such as white sand beaches, rocky shorelines, towering cliffs, and a blowhole make this island a favorite of many hikers, including us. The first animals encountered as you begin your Punta Suarez hike are the sea lions; a nursery full of curious young sea lions exists right near the boat landing area. Continuing on along the rocky path marked by black and white cairns you will notice several Marine Iguanas, a species unique to Hood Island, as are most of the other animals that call this island home. During the breeding season, the normally black iguanas turn a brilliant red and turquoise color, and we are visiting at the right time. Unfortunately, our timing is not right for two other species—the Waved Albatross and the Blue-footed boobies. We visited in the month of February, too soon for the albatross and too late for the blue-footed boobies. The Waved Albatross nest on the island from April to December and by February the Blue-footed Boobies have already returned to the sea. Despite this disappointment, we were well compensated by the many other animals that we encountered that day, particularly the Nazca boobies and the Lava lizards—the largest of their kind. As we made our way to a highpoint along the cliffs, we admired the view of nesting Nazca boobies, which formed the foreground for the spouting blowhole on the shoreline below. The remainder of our hike took us past an abundance of scurrying Lava lizards and several Hood Island Mockingbirds, before returning us to Punta Suarez.

NBH Tip: It isn’t hard to get up close and personal with these amazing animals, just be sure to move slowly and stay on the trail. A good telephoto lens will allow you to get full-frame shots of the beautiful masked faces of the Nazca booby and of the large Lava lizards, whose females have a brilliant red-colored chin.

 

Espanola (Hood) Island, Gardner Bay, Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador

Gardner Bay Beach Hike: [February 2002] The beach at Gardner Bay, a 1 mile stretch of white sand on the island of Espanola, is the highlight of any visit to the Galapagos Chain. The pristine shoreline of Gardner Bay embodies the beauty of an island paradise, complete with sparkling turquoise colored water and soft brilliantly white sand. The island paradise is made even more amazing by the incredible wildlife that inhabits this stretch of sand. Sea lions, Marine iguanas, and Sally Lightfoot crabs all call this area home, and since they do not consider man a threat, you can get closer than you ever imagined to these amazing animals. As you hike along the beach towards the rocky point, you will be overwhelmed with the connection you feel to these beautiful animals. Sea lions lounge in the sun along the shoreline, play in the surf, and come out to greet hikers as they walk down the beach. It is forbidden to touch any of the animals, but if they decide to touch you then that is okay, so we hoped for a close encounter. First, we made our way down to the rocky point where the brightly colored Marine Iguanas and Sally Lightfoot crabs bask on the black rocks, just waiting to pose for that award winning photo. We watched as the Marine iguanas swam in the ocean and the crabs lounged on the rocks before returning to the sea lion colony on the beach. The three of us sat on the beach close to a young sea lion to see what he would do, and then sure enough he made his way over to investigate. He came right up to me and started nibbling on my toes, and then he went over to Pick and started playing with the strings on her beach bag! The next thing we knew, he had decided that Doc’s legs would make a great place to take a nap—he then nuzzled right up to her and laid down for a siesta, it was the most incredible thing any of us had ever experienced! That little sea lion, with his one act of camaraderie, sealed our love for the incredible Galapagos Islands.

NBH Tip: If you decide to try your luck at a sea lion close encounter, just make sure that your fascination doesn’t take your mind off watching for the huge bull sea lions. These large males will aggressively guard their territory, and have been known to bite, so keep a watchful eye out for the big guys as you play with the young pups.

 

North Seymour Island, Galapagos Archipelago, Ecuador

North Seymour Island Trail: [February 2002] The visitor trail on North Seymour Island is a short loop, approximately 1 mile or 2 km long, which takes hikers along the sandy beach and inland among the nesting Magnificent Frigate birds. The inland trail affords great views of the Palo Santo forest and the nests of the frigate birds, whose large fluffy chicks were getting ready to leave the nest. Perched in the trees, were a few male birds who were still displaying the large red pouch on their necks in an attempt to woo females. Continuing on along the trail, we soon came to the sandy beach where we enjoyed great views of Daphne Major and Daphne Minor just offshore. In addition, Marine Iguanas were busily digging out burrows in the sand and sea lions were playing in the crashing surf, making this an enjoyable hike for both the wildlife and views from the beach.

NBH Tip: Sturdy shoes are a plus on this rocky trail, which is often made even more difficult to hike due to the abundance of guano coating the rocks.  

 

Crater Lake National Park, Oregon

Discovery Point Trail: [August 1994] The Discovery Point Trail is a great way to see Crater Lake from above, especially if you have limited time at the park. This easy to moderate hike heads northwest from the Rim Village Parking Area, contouring the rim of the deep blue lake for 1.3 miles, for a roundtrip of 2.6 miles if you hike the entire length and back. The views of Wizard Island from the high trail are incredible, and the trail is relatively flat, allowing for an easy stroll. The trail is at an elevation of 7,000 feet, so you might notice a little shortness of breath if you are not used to the altitude. Regardless of the trail you choose, Crater Lake is an outstanding setting for a day hike—thanks to some of the cleanest air in the country, you can often see more than 100 miles from viewpoints along the trail. We particularly enjoyed the views out over the lake, which is unbelievably blue, and the views down the caldera rim, which is forested with hemlock and Shasta red fir. Hike as far as you desire on this scenic trail and then relax for a nice picnic lunch within the park boundaries.

NBH Tip: If time allows, hike the mile-long Cleetwood Trail down to the water and landing for the boat tour. The boat tour gives the hiker a different perspective on the lake, and it takes you to Wizard Island where you can then climb the Wizard Island Summit Trail.

Poas Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Sombrilla de Pobre Main Path/Botos Lagoon/Escalonia Trail: [January 2008] Poas Volcano National Park (Parque Nacional Volcan Poas) is home to one of the world’s most accessible active volcanoes—indeed, it is one of the oldest and best-known national parks in Costa Rica. The main attraction of the park is, of course, Volcan Poas—a collection of three craters, with the Main Crater being a visual feast, thanks to its bubbling, steaming cauldron of milky turquoise water that is nearly 1500 meters, or almost a mile, in diameter—that is, when you can see it. Unfortunately, for us, the entire volcano was hiding behind thick cloud cover when we visited the park, but we opted to pay the entry fee ($10 each) anyway, in order to enjoy the trails that wind through the dwarf cloudforest—sure to be a delight despite the lack of visibility. Since it seemed unlikely that clouds could ruin a trek through a cloudforest, we set out to explore the network of trails that wind around the park. We set out just a little after 8:00am on the Main Path, known as the Sombrilla de Pobre (Poor Man’s Umbrella) Trail, which leads the hiker 600 meters (0.3 miles) along a paved walkway—a path lined with the amazing plant that is the trail’s namesake—ending at the wooden viewing platform overlooking the main crater. As we walked along the path, we kept hoping the clouds would lift before we reached the viewpoint, but we had no such luck—all we could see from the overlook was thick fog. Dejected, we left the viewpoint and set out on the 1400-meter (0.9 mile) long Botos Lagoon Trail (Sendero a la Laguna Botos). Lake Botos, a quiet lake formed within the third crater, now extinct, and surrounded by thick vegetation, can be reached by hiking through a rare version of cloudforest called dwarf or stunted cloudforest. Dwarf cloudforests are a combination of delicate ferns, miniature trees, and bromeliad-encrusted limbs, all stunted through an onslaught of cloud cover, cold temperatures, and acid rain from the heart of the volcano—be prepared for cold, windy and wet conditions while hiking in a cloudforest. We hear there is a lovely view of the lake itself from this trail, but once again thick cloud cover socked in the view, so we focused our attention on the flora and fauna of the area instead. Despite our early morning arrival and the fact that it was the dry season, the clouds continued to envelop the area in thick fog, often sweeping across our path and filling the atmosphere with damp moisture—making for an interesting environment. Continuing our exploration of the park, we hiked the 1020-meter (0.6 mile) Escalonia Trail, where we encountered exotic plants and a black guan (pava negra), which flew overhead—a nice parting gift as we found ourselves back at the parking lot and ready to head to our next adventure.

NBH Tip: In order to have the best chance of viewing the crater, arrive early (before 10:00am) in hopes of beating the clouds which invariably roll in towards afternoon—even an early arrival is no guarantee, as evidenced by our visit, but the trails are still fun to explore in inclement weather. When you arrive at the entrance station, the ranger will inform you of the weather conditions, and if he says it is cloudy and your goal is to see the crater and Lake Botos, we suggest you turn around and try another day.

 

Arenal Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Heliconia Trail/Coladas Trail: [January 2008] Volcan Arenal, one of the most active volcanoes in the Americas, is the centerpiece of Parque National Volcan Arenal and the park has some good trails that afford excellent views of Arenal and the park’s flora and fauna. Upon entering the park, we drove to the View Point, where you can gaze up at the conical masterpiece—so close to the vantage point that you feel like you could reach out and touch it. Satisfied with our proximity to the volcano, we drove back to Parking Lot 1 eager to begin our hiking exploration of the park—the trailhead for the 1 Km (0.6 mile) Heliconia Trail begins at the lot near the restrooms. We set out for the trail and instantly sighted some wildlife—flitting about in the trees near the trailhead were several White-throated magpie jays and a colorful Montezuma oropendola. The remainder of the walk along the Heliconia Trail was uneventful, allowing us to enjoy the vegetation that colonized the area after the 1968 eruptions—the Heliconia Trail ends at the road and then on the other side the 2 Km (1.25 mile) Colodas Trail begins. The topography of the trail is mostly flat, traversing sand and ash expelled by old eruptions, until reaching a staircase that leads to the jagged lava rocks near the end of the trail. All along the trail, there are incredible views of the massive volcanic cone of Arenal, in fact, you can hear the rumbling and witness huge bus-sized boulders expelling from the crater! We took our time enjoying the views of the volcano, the terrestrial orchids that miraculously grow amid the lava rocks, and the unnerving activity of the crater before retracing our steps back to the car. On our return journey, we caught a glimpse of several great crested currasows foraging in the underbrush, and a bright green spiny lizard basking in a trailside tree—a diverse amount of wildlife and amazing views for a roundtrip hike of only 3 miles.

NBH Tip: Arenal Volcano National Park is open to the public Sunday to Monday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm—time your hiking accordingly. Currently, as of January 2008, this area is not in the danger zone, but you can see glowing red lava streaming down the side of the cone at night—you can only visit the park after dark on a guided night tour, most of which leave La Fortuna at around 3-4pm in the afternoon. Alternatively, book a room at the incredible Arenal Observatory Lodge where you can watch the pyrotechnics from your own private balcony!