10/9: The Galapagos Highlands: Sinkholes, GIANT Turtles & Lava Tunnels!

Yesterday we had made arrangements with our hotel to hire a taxi for a half-day to see the sights in Las Alturas or the Highlands of Santa Cruz, the island where we were staying. Luckily, another couple from the hotel also wanted to go so we shared the cost with them. Our taxi, i.e. a red truck, picked us up at 8:30 to take us first to Los Gemelos. 

On the way, we couldn’t help but noticing the great walking and cycling path paralleling the road. I love taking photos of new animal crossing signs! Just ahead were huge tortoises in the field across the road.

Los Gemelos or The Twins were two sinkholes surrounded by a scalesia forest which contains fifteen species that grow as shrubs or trees endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Scalesia species have been called ‘the Darwin's finches of the plant world’ because they show a similarly dramatic pattern of adaptive radiation.

One of the largest and most widespread species is a large tree which grows up to 15 to 20 meters tall, reaching maturity in a few years’ time. These trees typically grow in dense stands of the same species and age. They die around the same time, and then a new generation of seedlings grows up in the same place. 

The mist added to the mystery of what we were seeing as we had no idea before coming what had caused the massive sinkholes. The mist was so pervasive, we couldn't see the bottom at all.

So many people thought Los Gemelos were volcanoes that the park put up a sign dispelling people of that belief. Geologists call these holes collapsed craters. Most islands were made from magma flows from inside the earth that pushed and uplifted land over the ocean. 

'This spectacular landscape was formed because magma flowed under the ground until the volcanic activity came to an end. When the liquid rock cooled down and contracted, unstable zones were left. As time went by, they collapsed and built these holes or craters. Even apparent destruction can create beauty.'

A short trailhead through the scalesia forest connected the sinkholes. 

The scalesia forests were the homes of birds known as Darwin's finches and two varieties of flycatcher birds.

After crossing the road, we came to the second one which was equally as mysterious as the first one.

Seeing the swirling mist made me think for more than a moment that we were in the Scottish highlands and not in the Galapagos!

The path, which was very near the edge as you can see, had no protective barrier.

The path through the scalesia forest continued beyond the second sinkhole.

If you want to see any of the photos in better detail, just click on them.

Just thirty minutes later, we were back in the truck and on our way to our second stop. I bet the animal in the middle will give you a clue what we'd see next!

This tortoise was just on the side of the road near Rancho Primicias, a private ranch containing dozens of giant tortoises where we could wander around at will.

I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard trying to wriggle inside the tortoise shell!

Trying to extract myself from the shell was no easy feat!

Steven got too close to the tortoise so it bellowed at him and retracted its head!

This area was once farmland before being converted once again to tortoise habitat. 

We had to be careful and not step on any tortoise poop!

Because the area received lots of rain, there were huge muddy ponds for cooling off on hot days and lots of green vegetation for food. No tortoise was fed by humans in this location. It was a perfect place for mature wild tortoises.

The reserve wasn’t just great tortoise habitat but also home to a wide variety of birds. The place was also abuzz with insect life and lots of butterflies.

The tortoises weren’t kept in cages nor were they prevented from leaving by walls or barriers. Barbed wire fences keep predators out but allowed tortoises the freedom to leave. And leave they must if they want to lay eggs.

The average tortoise is not ready to mate until 20-25 years old, the age of most of the tortoises at the reserve. One reason the species is endangered is because young tortoises are often eaten by predators before they give birth to the next generation.

The reserve was amazingly peaceful because there were only a few other people in the large area and they, too, were very quiet and respectful of the animals.

Now you know I wasn't exaggerating when I referred to the Giant Tortoises on Santa Cruz Island!

For the first time, I had a clear understanding of the ‘slow like a turtle’ expression as the tortoise moved so, so slowly. It lumbered a step or two to munch on some more grass.

Chow time:

We really enjoyed walking thru the lush preserve in the highlands to see the giant tortoises in such an unspoiled setting. 

The sounds the tortoises made were like a combination of the hissing of a snake and a whale coming up for air.

As someone wrote so eloquently, “The tortoises were so ugly they were beautiful! When you see their faces, you know where the inspiration for E.T. came from!”

Input means output!

Oops, couldn’t cross so a good excuse why we were late getting back to the taxi for our drive to our final stop on the tour. Lina: I can only imagine how much you, too, would have loved being there alongside us marveling at the huge beasts. I hope you and Dan travel to the Galapagos one day soon yourselves so you also can discover the beauty of the ungainly animals.

On the way to the final stop, the driver mentioned these were a type of orange trees but the fruit was more acidic.

Our last stop of the highlands tour was to the Lava Tunnels. These impressive underground tunnels were more than 1km in length and were formed when the outside skin of a lava flow solidified. When the lava flow ceased, the molten lava inside the flow kept going, emptying out of the solidified skin and thus leaving tunnels.

As we walked to the entrance and surrounded by dense vegetation, I overheard a guide tell his client that this part of the tunnels was 100% natural, i.e. without any steps or lights, because it was a broken stretch of the large tunnel and the roof had collapsed. 

The part we were going through was all completely ‘natural’ except for the steps and lights. I was sure glad that those simple accommodations had been made!

Different colors of stone:

The same guide said this was, in his opinion, one of the most beautiful of thousands of tunnels on the islands. The guide and client turned and retraced their steps but we walked onwards. 

I remember our joking that this part of the tunnel looked like a guillotine!

Steven and I hadn’t realized that our taxi driver was meeting us at the other end of the tunnel and that therefore we had no choice but to clamber over the rocks, and on all fours quite literally before we could see light at the end of the proverbial tunnel!  I swear this will be the last time you ever see a photo of my bum!

Luckily, the couple from Argentina spoke just enough English that’s what they heard the driver tell them so we followed them. We had to be really careful about not bumping our heads as the roof was very low in spots.

These lava tubes were luckily dormant; there had been no signs of any eruptions in ten thousand years.

In a couple of hundred years, these tunnels might be called caves, with stalactites hanging from walls and ceilings. The slow process of stalagmite creation on the tunnel floors is obviously being hampered by visitors. With so many people walking through, the calcium formations will never have the opportunity to form. Nevertheless, the process of geologic time was apparent when walking in and crawling along the long tunnel.

 All I could think of was thank God neither of us suffered from agoraphobia because of the tight and narrow spaces we were in. At one point, the young Argentine kindly scouted out the rocks ahead trying to find the best way for us to proceed as there was no defined path. It was one of the rare times I felt much safer with my camera, pen and notepaper safely stowed away so I had both hands free to scramble among the rocks.

I was quite relieved to see the blessed light at the end of our 40-minute walk through the lava tunnel.

The tunnel exit looked pretty benign once we were well away from it!

Since the driver dropped us off back at the hotel before noon, we had plenty of time and enthusiasm for an afternoon activity although we both wanted something out in the open after our jaunt through the lava tunnel!

Next post: An afternoon hiking through salt flats, the German Beach, Sea Lions and Pelicans.

Posted on November 10th, 2017, from La Paz, Bolivia.