Isla de La Plata (Ecuador)

I decided to stop at Puerto Lopez mainly to go to Isla de la Plata, as I knew I wouldn't have the chance to go to the Galapagos. In town I went to different agencies who all proposed the same thing...

So I went to the port in the morning to get on the boat that would take us to the island. The island is part of the Machalilla National Park, so you have to pay an entry fee. A little less than two hours later we landed on the island where some large turtles were waiting for us. We followed our guide for a two hour walk. Although I couldn't see any whales (it wasn't the season), there were some great birds all over the island, like blue footed boobies (which, you can guess from their name, have blue feet). Used to tourists, they are easily approached.

Then we went back to the boat for lunch and to do a bit of snorkelling. It was very nice but they were in a hurry for us to leave, which is one of the problems with agencies and guides who want to get home...