Marine Iguanas in the Galapagos Islands

The amazing and unique Marine Iguana in the Galapagos Islands was the species chosen by David Attenborough to open his new BBC series on reptiles and amphibians - 'Life in Cold Blood'.

Guests travelling on a Cruises for Nature 14-day escorted wildlife and photography tour of the Galapagos Islands in September and October 2008 will have the opportunity to see not only the Marine Iguana but also Galapagos Sea Lions, Blue-footed Boobies, nesting Waved Albatrosses, Sally Lightfoot Crabs, Lava Lizards and endangered giant tortoises.

The Marine Iguana, the only sea-going lizard in the world, is not particularly attractive – with their wide-set eyes, spiky dorsal scales and knotty, salt-encrusted heads. However, what they lack in looks they more than make up for with their amazing and unique ecological adaptations. Their ability to feed in the cold Galapagos waters is dependent on regulation of body temperature.

They bask in the sun until their body temperature reaches its optimum 35.5°C – their dark grey colour helps absorb the sunlight – and they feed during the middle of the day when the temperature is warmest. Although numbers are high, the Marine Iguana is under constant pressure from non-native predators and they are protected throughout the archipelago. Ranging from 75 centimetres to 1.5 metres, each island hosts a population of unique size, shape and colour.

Cruises for Nature has chartered the comfortable 15-passenger air-conditioned 98-foot motor-yacht - Galapagos Adventurer V – for their cruise around the islands. Small enough to navigate the coves and inlets inaccessible to the larger vessels, yet with spacious outdoor decks for wildlife watching, the Galapagos Adventurer V provides an ideal platform to explore the islands’ and to see the diverse and spectacular wildlife. Three nights at the superb Tandayapa Bird Lodge in Ecuador’s subtropical forest ensures a spectacular finish to this 14-day escorted wildlife trip.

Situated in the Pacific Ocean, 1000 km off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Marine Reserve was designated a protected area in 1998 and is one of the largest marine reserves in the world, covering approximately 50,000 square miles. The area’s spectacular tropical ecosystems, nutrient rich waters and overwhelming diversity of wildlife all contribute to the reason why this archipelago is famous for its complex one-of-a-kind ecosystems.

Nineteen islands make up the Galapagos Island group and Cruises for Nature plan to visit at least seven of these during the seven-day cruise around the islands (subject to weather and permissions). Close encounters with Pacific Green Turtles, Bottlenose Dolphins and some of the great whales are likely and, with a Galapagos naturalist guide on board as well as the Cruises for Nature escort, the group will be well informed on the islands’ history, culture and fascinating variety of birds, animals and plants.

Santa Cruz – home to the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station this island is where the voyage will begin and end.

North Seymour – the islands’ largest frigatebird colony is here with an astonishing number of Magnificent Frigatebirds nesting along with Great Frigatebirds. The coastline provides a popular sunbathing site for Marine Iguanas and Galapagos Sea Lions.

Bartolome – here you can swim off the island’s golden beaches with the world’s most northerly penguin – the Galapagos Penguin.

Sante Fe – dominated by tall forests of Opuntia Cacti, this island is home to the endemic Santa Fe Iguana as well as the Galapagos Hawk and Galapagos Dove.

San Cristobal (Chatham) Island – this island has the second largest human settlement in the Galapagos as well as the islands’ only freshwater lagoon, a rain filled crater about 6m deep offering breathtaking views and spectacular bird watching.

Espanola (Hood) – the only island in the world where Waved Albatross nest and the endemic Hood Mockingbird is found. Confiding Nazca and Blue-footed Boobies nest close to the footpaths and Galapagos Sea Lions are on the beach at Gardner Bay.

Floreana – feeding American Flamingos and the endemic Large-Billed Flycatcher are on the island’s large lagoon, whilst snorkellers may have an escort of playful Galapagos Sea Lions.

On return from the Galapagos Islands to Quito, the group will transfer to the superb Tandayapa Bird Lodge on the west slope subtropical forests of the Ecuadorian Andes, for the final three days of the trip. Tandayapa is a lodge designed and owned by birders, where the intense bird activity has to be seen to be believed with Booted racket-tail, Violet-tailed Sylph, Brown Inca, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Western Emerald, Rufous-tailed and Speckled Hummingbirds all competing for a place at the feeders.

Using the lodge as a base, the group will be searching the forests for two particular species endemic to the Choco region of Colombia and Ecuador: the plate-billed Mountain Toucan and Toucan Barbet.

Departure dates: 25 September – 8 October 2008 and 30 October – 12 November 2008.

Prices: £3699pp sharing a twin cabin including flights to/from Quito, 7-day cruise around the Galapagos Islands, 3-days in Tandayapa Lodge, all transfers and guide services.

For more information, visit Expeditioncruising.co.uk.