
Tonight’s dinner was lobster-rific! 🦞
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Sunset on Isabela Island
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A land iguana on Baltra island
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Flying over Santa Cruz Island in our charter plane
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A Galapagos penguin greeted us upon arrival in Isabela!
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Flying out of Quito, Ecuador was a beautiful sight
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A new friend gets curious at Baltra airport
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The shoreline of Santa Cruz
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Dotty & Ruth and our mighty, tiny plane!
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Marine iguana feet are my favorite!
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A Galapagos land iguana on Baltra island
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And of course I’ve made a puppy friend already!
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Galapagos penguins, the northern-most penguins in the world (and the 2nd smallest)
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Sally Lightfoot crab
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Blue seastar
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Cortez starfish
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Choco-chip starfish
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A blue-footed booby holding court with 4 penguins
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A marine iguana rests on above a small channel filled with white-tipped reef sharks
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The sharks were resting in a small, cozy channel
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A content marine iguana
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The water was beautiful today!
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Resting sea lion pup & mama
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A marine iguana who lost her tail. Sadly, they do not grow back and can make swimming very difficult for them.
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Learning about the wonders of the Tintoreras with our guide today
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A lava lizard
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A lovely 71 degrees today!
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Iguana palms 😆❤️ So cute!
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A Nazca, or “masked,” booby
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Union Rock
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A juvenile blue-footed booby—she hasn’t gotten her colorful feet yet!
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What was supposed to be a small, light dish of ceviche turned into a whole event 😂
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A new beach friend!
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Our guide Gustavo enthusiastically (!!) points out a Galápagos penguin cruising by underwater
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THIS is how you find the sharks! 😆
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❤️ Jam!
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Gustavo giving us some kayak pointers before our trip
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A white-tipped reef shark “cuddle puddle” 😂
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🐧🐧🐧
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Tying up our kayaks before snorkeling
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Marine iguanas resting at sunset, huddling together for warmth and because, well, they’re best friends.
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Next stop for Jan & Mark: Playa del Amor (literally!)
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Lois & her tortoise buddy!
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Today we visited a new local Isabela brewery and got samples and a short tour #DrinkLocal
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Our magnificent guide Gustavo set up our brewery tour and had us all laughing, to boot!
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Sally & a marine iguana friend
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![[South] America’s Next Top Model](https://www.retreatours.com/wp-content/plugins/justified-image-grid/timthumb.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fv%2Ft39.30808-6%2F263009935_6500790269992875_2431952033300095866_n.jpg%3F_nc_cat%3D111%26ccb%3D1-7%26_nc_sid%3Dd3bd4b%26_nc_ohc%3DE0aakdPmzroAX-5tLX6%26_nc_ht%3Dscontent-dfw5-1.xx%26edm%3DAC7C4-wEAAAA%26oh%3D00_AfDAU6OdBfFOTE0l1smy1fzh7D6sRzBlwaesSWvBzCUgvA%26oe%3D657108EA&h=255&q=40&f=.jpg)
[South] America’s Next Top Model
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Inside a small lava tunnel on the coast of Isabela
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A giant tortoise we saw on our bike ride today 🐢
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Isabela has a small cemetery just meters from the beach, just outside town.
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Some of the wetlands just west of town
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Isla Tortuga in the distance
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Isabela dogs don’t chew bones, they chew fish heads!
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Gustavo explaining the dangers of the Manzanillo, or Manchineel, tree, which has a very toxic sap. Tortoises love its fruit, though!
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A few folks hiked along the crater of the Sierra Negra volcano yesterday!
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A few stilts and a pin-tail duck pal
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Ground finch
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Living the absolute dream
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Our beans and rice were as happy to see us as we were to see them
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Christmas decorations are starting to go up around town 🎄
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Woohoo! Making it to the top of the lookout at the Wall of Tears is no small feat! And don’t forget the man behind the camera, too—Mark! (Thanks for the photo!)
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A passionfruit mojito during our last Isabela sunset
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Jam in one of my favorite spots in all of the Galapagos!
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A view of the Tintoreras from our plane
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You shall not pass! (Except I actually did)
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😴😴😴
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A temporary beach bar 😲
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A swimming marine iguana
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A view of Puerto Villamil after take off
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Throwback to our Tunnels tour
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Sally, The Penguin, and Me 😍🐧🥰
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Sally has perfected the snorkel smile!
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We were demonstrating the dance of a certain sea slug 😆 (thanks, Lois!)
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That feeling when you’re waiting for the post office to open 😂
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Dinner in a nutshell last night!
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San Cristobal mockingbird
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The sweet embrace of a sleeping headlock
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We encountered a Christmas parade on the walk to dinner!
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Food coma? Maybe one too many seafood volcanoes 😆
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Our restaurant last night, chock full of quirks and lobsters!
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Papaya fractal
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Which group is ACTUALLY penned in here, the humans or the turtles? 😄
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❤️❤️❤️❤️
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🙃
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Juvenile blue-footed boobies, eagerly awaiting their colorful feet!
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A male frigatebird in flight with his gullar sac inflated—all in the name of attracting a nice mate
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HELLO! 😍
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A curious sea lion really wants to play with BJ’s fin!
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Some snacks & wine after a successful snorkel session
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A baby frigatebird
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A juvenile great frigatebird
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Lunchtime!
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The water was a gorgeous blue yesterday!
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A battle-scarred alpha male cruises beneath me
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👋
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My fin ALSO looks tasty
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Galapagos cotton
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A lovely morning greeting!
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A cloud of salema fish
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Sea lions resting on the beach with Kicker Rock in the distance
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Underwater, Kicker Rock shows it’s colorful side
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Alley oop!
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Ok, now pose together! 😆
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We saw many turtles circling Kicker Rock
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An Oyster Catcher
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👋
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Our guide Gustavo enjoys a warm cup of cinnamon tea after our snorkel
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📸
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An albatross pair, mated for life.
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Sally on the cliffs of Española ❤️
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A Nazca booby and a marine iguana subspecies found only on this island
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Mark & a sea turtle
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Carolyn & a sea lion
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Mark & Gustavo chat on the rocks
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A baby albatross… a “tween,” if you will!
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Red-billed tropicbird
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An Española mockingbird & Nazca booby
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Española mockingbird
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A rare Galapagos hawk
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A baby blue-footed booby
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Albatross
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The marina iguanas on this island are a brilliant red and green—perfect for the holiday season!
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A young albatross tries her wings
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Linda & a sea lion
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This young sea lion looks like it’s doing tricks for BJ!
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This sea lion really wants her photo taken!
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😍
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Thanks to Jan for this photo!
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