Santa Cruz and North Seymour Islands
We disembarked at 6:30 am, an early beginning at Santa Cruz Island with a promise of a great adventure. Welcome to civilization! We landed at Puerto Ayora’s main dock and then with the buses we drove up to the highlands. On the way there we were able to observe how the vegetation changed from the leafless incense trees to papayas, citrus plants and bananas. We were heading towards ‘El Chato’ giant tortoise reserve; this hike up to one mile in led us to two young giant tortoises and then to an enormous male! We enjoyed taking our time in order to let this huge tortoise come closer; it is always amazing to be observed by animals, something that happens in the Galápagos Islands, an unusual and unique place on earth. Before the well deserved breakfast, we walked through a lava tube, where we were witnesses to the formation of the islands. Later, when we came back to town, there was time for phone calls, internet and shopping!
We left Santa Cruz by noon and sailed to North Seymour Island. As soon as we arrived, we disembarked at this spectacular island. We explored the area and found our first land iguanas, unique species of Galápagos. Frigates were flying very close, offering to our eager new naturalist photographers the opportunity to take a picture of them in flight with the inflated red gular sac. Furthermore, blue footed boobies were nesting on the trail, several of them with chicks. We approached the frigate bird colony and found the attractive males displaying for the females, chicks of all ages, juveniles! There was something going around us at all times. By the end of our afternoon hike, baby sea lions came even closer to smell us! Curiosity is bringing them to humans. At the Galápagos, we are accepted as part of nature! Our day ends, and we came back on board feeling that perhaps this was the best day ever.
We disembarked at 6:30 am, an early beginning at Santa Cruz Island with a promise of a great adventure. Welcome to civilization! We landed at Puerto Ayora’s main dock and then with the buses we drove up to the highlands. On the way there we were able to observe how the vegetation changed from the leafless incense trees to papayas, citrus plants and bananas. We were heading towards ‘El Chato’ giant tortoise reserve; this hike up to one mile in led us to two young giant tortoises and then to an enormous male! We enjoyed taking our time in order to let this huge tortoise come closer; it is always amazing to be observed by animals, something that happens in the Galápagos Islands, an unusual and unique place on earth. Before the well deserved breakfast, we walked through a lava tube, where we were witnesses to the formation of the islands. Later, when we came back to town, there was time for phone calls, internet and shopping!
We left Santa Cruz by noon and sailed to North Seymour Island. As soon as we arrived, we disembarked at this spectacular island. We explored the area and found our first land iguanas, unique species of Galápagos. Frigates were flying very close, offering to our eager new naturalist photographers the opportunity to take a picture of them in flight with the inflated red gular sac. Furthermore, blue footed boobies were nesting on the trail, several of them with chicks. We approached the frigate bird colony and found the attractive males displaying for the females, chicks of all ages, juveniles! There was something going around us at all times. By the end of our afternoon hike, baby sea lions came even closer to smell us! Curiosity is bringing them to humans. At the Galápagos, we are accepted as part of nature! Our day ends, and we came back on board feeling that perhaps this was the best day ever.
