10. January 2024

Day 15: Galapagos

El Junco

Today was an active day. I started with a quick run along the only main road that connects Puerto Baquerizo Moreno with the other “towns” of the Island. But it had a nice bicycle road along it, which provided a safe space for running, really great!

After the run, we had breakfast in the Hotel and then went on the search for bikes. The renting turned out pretty easy and was done without any paperwork! The goal was clear: we wanted to visit the Highlands and, more specifically, El Junco, a small crater Lake at one of the highest points of the Islands.

But there were two ways to reach the goal: ride up around 600m of elevation gain or take a taxi and only ride down. I know some people will now be disappointed (myself included), but after we did a quick ride on the bikes, it was clear that riding up with these “beasts” would be no fun… so we went with the Taxi Up & Ride Down strategy.

20$ and 15 minutes later, we were at the parking below El Junco. So first, it was time to hike up and visit the crater lake. The weather there was cloudy, and it rained a little bit occasionally. There is a trail around the crater, but it was so muddy that we decided against it.

After the quick hike, we started the downhill, which wasn’t all downhill. We had to do roughly 100m of elevation gain before it was all down. But during this stretch, it started to rain or, to be more precise, to pour down! After just a short moment, we were completely soaked, but thanks to the mild weather, it wasn’t a real issue and a fun experience.

We quickly stopped in El Progreso before returning to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. A short moment at the Hotel Pool before we went to Playa Loberia. Sun was burning here again, the rain was forgotten, and as there was no shade at the beach, we only stayed for roughly an hour.