Bartholomew and Santa Cruz Islands, 3/15/2025, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
With a very relaxing morning at Bartholomew, our day began. We enjoyed our first snorkeling session of the week. We had a lovely time with penguins and whitetip reef sharks.
In the afternoon we had the chance to head over to Dragon Hill on Santa Cruz Island where we found several land iguanas and a few blue-footed boobies on the way.
Bernardo, known by his friends and family as Bernie, was born In the Andean city of Quito, located in the highlands of Ecuador. His grandfather, however, moved to the Galapagos Islands in the mid-70s, and worked as one of the first Naturalist Guides,...
We started the day circumnavigating the dramatic sea cliffs of Roca Redonda as the sun rose above the horizon. Later, a Zodiac ride at Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island revealed penguins, Galapagos fur seals, and flightless cormorants. We were delighted to encounter a huge pod of Common dolphins on our way to Fernandina Island for our afternoon of activities. Many sea turtles and marine iguanas accompanied us as we snorkeled around the bay at Punta Espinosa. The day ended with a glowing sky as we walked among marine iguanas, sea lions, and flightless cormorants. It was another memorable day in Galapagos!
Today was an amazing day from sunrise to sunset. We explored the beautiful North Seymour Island in the first part of the day. So many birds! We even saw the fascinating courtship dance of the blue-footed boobies. What a treat! In the afternoon, we went for our first snorkeling experience in the Galapagos, swimming with sea lions and so many fish. To end our day, we had the option to go for a photo-oriented or natural history walk along the astonishing red sand beach of Rabida Island. I oversaw the photo-oriented walk, and we had so much fun. Our guests put into practice what they learned during the photo presentation we had yesterday, and the result was amazing. We cannot wait for another day full of adventures in the Galapagos Archipelago.
Our first full day had plenty of wonderful surprises as we disembarked in Puerto Ayora, the main town on Santa Cruz Island. As soon as we arrived, we took a bus all the way to the highlands of Santa Cruz until we reached El Trapiche Farm, a unique site where the guests of National Geographic Islander II learned about the production of organic coffee, cocoa, and sugarcane liquor. Afterwards, we visited the Twin Craters. This amazing site is comprised of two incredible pit craters formed by the collapse of volcanic magma chambers. The area is surrounded by a forest of the unique Scalesia pedunculata, a tree that is endemic to the area. The spectacular visit to El Manzanillo Ranch gave us the opportunity to walk among the incredible Galapagos giant tortoises, often found in the early afternoon having lunch and resting. Being surrounded by these gentle giants was the best way of ending our visit.
