On September 25th, Kathy and Larry Hersh, addressed the Rotary Club of Nashua regarding their trip to the Galapagos Islands in May 2023.
- They were guests on a private yacht, the Grand Majestic
- They saw tons of sea lions!
- They cruised through the Galapagos Islands, starting off in San Cristobal
- All plants and animals in the Galapagos originally came from somewhere else. The wildlife has adapted to only exist here.
- The majority of the islands are controlled by the national park. Only the people currently living on the islands are allowed to live there/no new people can move there.
- They did a number of hikes and saw some amazing wildlife—including the magnificent frigatebird.
- The island is calm, peaceful, and so green.
- Santiago is home to many thousands of fur seals, which are different than regular sea lions.
- They also saw many times iguanas, including land and marine iguanas. Marine iguanas are only found in the Galapagos.
- They enjoyed exploring a lava field together
- Galapagos tortoises were the stars of their trip. They are slow growing and slow ‘going.’ Females don’t start to lay eggs until 25 years old.
- Hatchlings are 3 inches
- They can grow up to 4 feet long
- They also enjoyed snorkeling and swimming with the wildlife!
- Larry and Kathy shared unbelievable photos and videos from their trip together.