The iguanas and sea lions on the Galápagos Islands can be tripping hazards. On the taxi pier, they create a slalom course for visitors. Here, a head is lazily lifted; there, a flipper is waved. No wonder, in this heat. The only ones moving voluntarily are the tourists.

The flowery scent of the landscape, the dazzling light, and the intense colors make everything feel surreal. But we’ve actually arrived in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, part of a remote island group in the Pacific. The little town is the logistical center of the Galápagos. It holds most of the infrastructure and 12,000 inhabitants. We’re surprised at how plentiful and upscale the offerings are here. There are hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops, spas, tour operators, dive shops, and ice cream shops. Everything is there, from simple to chic. Visitors stream in from every corner of the world. A jumble of languages can be heard, with Americans and Germans seemingly dominating the tourist scene.

Soon after arriving, we make the first of many laps through town and visit the Darwin Center, to immerse ourselves in the peculiarities of these islands. A friendly woman shows us endemic birds, plants, the tortoise-breeding program, and the preserved Lonesome George. The island group’s name, by the way, comes from saddles — the giant tortoises’ shells reminded the Europeans of them. Tired and full of impressions, we drop into our bunks on the first evening and let ourselves be rocked back and forth in bed in the rolly anchorage. Fortunately, the bouncing — and with it the restless nights — would ease off considerably, so that we make our peace with the anchorage.

Excursions on Santa Cruz

For starters, there’s no reason to leave Santa Cruz. There’s plenty to see. Up in the hills, for instance, lies the Highland View ranch. Here the air is a touch cooler and a little breeze blows. The view is magnificent. Various animals live on the grounds, and we crawl through our first lava tunnels.

On the way back, we take a look into the volcanic craters Los Gemelos with their many shades of green.

The rock formations of Las Grietas promise a cool-down in a small gorge. The cooling effect fizzles out, though, since we roast in the sun for what feels like an eternity while waiting for the obligatory guides, who then herd a whole horde of visitors through the gorge all at once.

With the upcoming quiet of the Pacific Ocean in mind, we enjoy the bustle of Puerto Ayora. We eat and drink our way through the culinary offerings and quickly develop a routine between playground, beach, and ice cream shop. Finally, we discover the library. It’s new, empty, and air-conditioned, and therefore the perfect place to spend the hot hours of the day. The welcome from the roughly nine-year-old librarian reminds us of Miss Huang from “Severance,” but that only throws us off the first time. For the little horse lover on board, we discover the Galapagos Horse Friends, a place for rescued horses lovingly cared for by its German founder.

But there are many islands around us, and so we won’t stay only on Santa Cruz — we’ll go and see a few other corners of the archipelago as well.