Bartolome and Santa Cruz Islands, 6/8/2024, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today we explored Bartolome Island and Dragon Hill on Santa Cruz Island. We enjoyed unique moments, and we spotted Galapagos penguins, sea lions, blue-footed boobies, and land iguanas. We observed a number of sea creatures while snorkeling. We finished the day by stargazing on the sky deck of National Geographic Islander II.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
Floreana was the first of the Galapagos Islands to be colonized by people. Ecuador took possession of the islands in 1832 and established a penal colony on Floreana Island. When Darwin visited the Galapagos in 1835, Floreana was the second island he visited. During his stay, Darwin explored the highlands.
Bartholomew Island offers the most iconic and photographed volcanic feature of the Galapagos Archipelago: Pinnacle Rock. This small islet is also home to the most tropical penguin on the planet. The Galapagos penguin is small, smart, and incredibly fast. We had an amazing time observing when one of the penguins used human beings as blockers to help corral small fish between him and the beach. Later that afternoon, we dropped anchor at Dragon Hill on the northwestern side of Santa Cruz Island. The abundant rains of the current rainy season have transformed the normally dry landscape into something lush, green, and full of insects. Nevertheless, the land iguanas were abundant. A chillier breeze told us that the rainy season is probably over.
Today our guests experienced Santiago Island. This is the Island that Darwin explored the most when he visited the Galapagos back in 1835. Darwin, together with some of the crew of HMS Beagle, camped on the island of Santiago for a week. While on the island, Darwin studied Galapagos marine and land iguanas, collected finches, mockingbirds, insects, and plants. Most of the species that Darwin collected were unique to the islands.
