May 30, 2019
Today started with a wonderful breakfast at the hotel made from local fruits and ingredients. We rushed our breakfast a little since our tour operator was picking us up at the hotel only a few minutes after breakfast was served. After a short drive around town, we had all of the participants for the tour and we were off to the dock.
The boat we boarded was a speed boat that would rush us the 45 minutes to the Túneles. On the way, we were able to see mantas off the side of the boat. The seas were a bit rough so it was a bouncy ride and again Sarah survived without getting too sick. The approach to the Túneles is harrowing at best, the Captain sits at the edge of a reef with 8-10 foot surf waiting for just the right time to ride a wave into the safety of the Túneles. After a few minutes there was a white-knuckled acceleration and a mad dash through crashing waves and then still calm.
The Túneles are former lava Tunnels that have collapsed partially into the sea leaving rock caves, spires, and arches. Our Captain navigated us through a labyrinth of rocks that appeared to be too small for our boat to pass. We eventually came to a “dock” where we disembarked to walk around among cactus and Blue Footed Boobies. When we were on North Seymour Island the Blue Footed Boobies had their chicks and we didn’t get to see their mating dance. In Túneles however the Blue Footed Boobies were still in the process of choosing their mates. We were fortunate to experience several different males dancing for the females.
The landscape of the Túneles is unreal, there is a maze of land with the ocean filling the gaps. In the water, there are countless fish and sea turtles swimming throughout. On the sides of the rocks Turns nest and sea lions hide in the many caves below the walkways. On the land, there are scattered nest of blue footed boobies dancing for their prospective mates.
We re-boarded the boat and donned our life vests for the tenuous route back through the breakers in the reef. The captain took us to the edge and we waited for what seemed like 10 minutes for the captain to find the right waves to crash through. Suddenly we accelerated and we shot out through the surf. Later our guide told us that many boats have flipped in this area when their captains read the waves wrong.
Once we were through the surf we headed to Cabo Rosa where we put on our snorkeling gear. The water was around 25C and felt comfortable to Kevin but everyone else went out in wet-suits. The currents were rather significant but manageable and we had to work to swim in some of the areas. The sea life here was much more diverse than some of the other areas that we had snorkeled. Immediately we ran into several very large green sea turtles. In this area alone we saw about a dozen sea turtles grazing in the sea plants.
We then headed into the mangroves and found many other varieties of marine life including seahorses, sharks, trumpet fish, and a very large parrot fish. We re-boarded the boat for a small lunch and the speed boat ride back to Puerto Villamil. The ride back was rougher than the ride out but Sarah again did OK. The tour was definitely worth the time and energy.
Upon returning to our hotel we rested for a few minutes and decided to walk to the giant tortoise breeding center. Annaleigh and Noah both complained about the walk but they endured it anyway. This time we took the path through the lagoons and saw many flamingos. At the tortoise breeding center, there were hundreds of tortoises of all different sizes and species.
On the way back we stopped at a restaurant for dinner called the Boobie Trap that overlooked the beach and the magnificent sunset on the ocean. The sunsets here around 6:30pm and there is very little variation in the length of the day. After dinner, we returned to our hotel for the night.