Española Island, 9/15/2024, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
We had an amazing first full day of exploration on the islands. During the morning, we explored the fantastic underwater world of the Galapagos, and it was amazing. We spent the afternoon on the lookout for the stunning waved albatross. We observed so much unique wildlife as we hiked this impressive island.
Today was just the start of our extraordinary adventure in the Galapagos Islands!
Cristian was born and raised on Santa Cruz Island, at the heart of the Galapagos Archipelago. He had the privilege of enjoying the beauty of the natural world of Galapagos every weekend, sailing in his family's small fishing boat. His parents passed ...
Early in the morning we awoke to the view of green palo santo trees marching up the hill from Santa Cruz and Baltra Islands. After breakfast we took buses to go on an exploration of the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center in Puerto Ayora. At the breeding center, we spotted several species of giant tortoises and learned about the projects currently happening to restore the dynasty of these giant endemic reptiles of the Galapagos. Later, we enjoyed lunch at a waterfront restaurant and continued our exploration in the highlands of Santa Cruz to visit the giant tortoises in their natural habitat. We spotted several male tortoises and a few females. We had great opportunities for photography at this location. After the visit to the giant tortoise ranch known as El Manzanillo, we ventured to an area with twin pit craters and then made our way back to National Geographic Gemini for evening recap.
Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago. Today, we explored a new and different site on this immense landmass, the area where land iguanas reign: Dragon Hill. Later in the morning we had a refreshing snorkeling experience and after lunch we were ready for a new adventure at Borrero Bay. In the afternoon the conditions were ideal for paddleboarding and Zodiac rides, and our Global Explorers had Zodiac driving lessons. Memorable experiences were had by all. At sunset, we joined on the observation deck for wine tasting while we sailed around Daphne Major, the laboratory of evolution for Peter and Rosemary Grant. We were surprised by pirates and a king turtle from the sea. They brought a piece of the Equatorial line, so we celebrated the crossing.
Isabela Island accounts for over 50% of the total land mass of the Galapagos Archipelago. The island has five main active volcanoes, and every couple of years they present volcanic activity. Each volcano had developed its own kind of giant tortoise, from saddleback to dome-shaped carapaces. This interesting fact is what intrigues scientists and our National Geographic Gemini guests.
