Now for something completely different.

We returned to Santa Cruz’s Puerto Ayora.  Last week I visited a coffee plantation that hosted Giant Tortoises.  Seems the tour this week was to the same place, so the Head Guide approached me with a different option.  Rather that return to the plantation I can be taken on a quick geology tour with a guide, 1-on-1.  Sounded good to me

We started by visiting two pit craters in the island highlands.  They straddled the port-to-airport road – a bit too closely for my liking.  I visited the Grand Canyon two months ago, and while these craters do not have the fill-you-vision impact, they are just as sudden.  I can’t get it all in one photograph, so here are two:  first the ridge, with the surrounding forest, and then the sheer drop.

My guide explained how the Park works to keep certain forests with only indigenous species.  In the top picture the lower trees right against the crater are those, the taller trees have been introduced.  The craters are easily 300 meters across, with the same depth.

Along the way we spotted some birds.  The Small Ground Finch, the Saffron Finch (maybe) and a Galapagos Dove.

We then drove to a lava tube.  A big one.  An entrance is on the property of a local resort, which granted us permission to explore.  It had lighting and stairs, so it’s not like we are spelunking. After five minutes it was like I was going thru the opening scenes of “Skyrim”.  We were given hard hats (which I needed) and hand flashlights, which were helpful for identifying good places to step.  Our taxi driver had never been, so he dashed down the stairs first to take a picture. There were water drops everywhere as the highlands rainforest rain slowly made its way thru the soil and volcanic stone.

Note – it’s getting to the last two days, so posts may be more infrequent than the last two weeks. But I plan to consolidate pictures and post a “Top 10” album once I get home. My flight from Ecuador is at 1:30am – I didn’t even know airports operated that early.