At first light we landed on Espumilla Beach and were treated to close encounters with a Galapagos hawk and a few brown pelicans feeding in the surf. We divided our group into two explorations – the long walkers that journeyed inland through the ancient mangrove forest, and the photography group that strolled along the soft red sandy beach. Later, we departed on Zodiacs along the steep cliffs of Buccaneer’s Cove followed by a few intrepid soles that went deep water snorkeling.
To round out our full day on Santiago Island, we landed at one of my favorite photographic spots, Puerto Egas. As we strolled along the lava rock bluffs, we spotted all the usual suspects – marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, Galapagos sea lions and fur seals. We made it back to the ship by sunset to enjoy a special barbecue with cocktails on the sun deck as we reminisced on our great day on Santiago Island.
