Up close and personal in the Galapagos

These photographs will probably do a better job at explaining our eight days in the Galapagos, 3,000km off the coast of Ecuador on board the 14-person Golondrina, a former British shipping boat.

Eight days of early risings, nightly crossings from island to island, daily snorkeling and constant, intimate contact with sea lions, iguanas, turtles, the three boobies and naughty mockingbirds. (And no seasickness). In weird, mostly dry, sometimes surprisingly green volcanic landscapes.

Blue-footed booby and egg

Land iguana

Sea iguana

Great blue heron in Puerto Ayoro's harbour

Swallow-tailed gull

On Bartolome island

Pelican - Amanda's favourite

Red-footed boobies in the mood

Sea lions snoozing in the late afternoon sun

Floreana island

Frigate bird wooing the ladies

This fella is more than 100 years old - Charles Darwin Research Station

Amanda Couper - professional snorkeler

Galapagos penguins

Sea iguana claw

Ducks, obviously

Sally Lightfoot crab

Mockingbird drinking iguana pee (naughty birds who get any water they can lay their beaks on. Tourists with water bottles are frequently attacked)

Golden rays - Turtle Cove, Santa Cruz island

Nazca booby on Espanola island

Flamingo doing impression of dog

Cactuses (I hate 'cacti') on Santa Fe island

And some pics taken with a disposable underwater camera while snorkeling:

Puffer fish

Me

Sealions - they sometimes came scarily close but were never aggressive

Sea turtle - it was awesome swimming with this guy