Dragon Hill & Chinese Hat
After a delicious breakfast we had a dry landing on Dragon Hill, a very rustic looking place with a population of majestic and colorful land iguanas. During the first part of our hike we encountered some lagoon birds like common stilts and white cheeked pintail ducks which were pretty active looking for food at the bottom of the lagoon. As we moved on further into the island we were suddenly surrounded by a very pale looking forest of incense trees, giving us the idea that there had been a wildfire there before. However, it was really just the forest’s dormant stage to retain water during the dry season.
At the nesting area of the iguanas we were lucky to spot several individuals, some of them even feeding on the prickly pear cactus!
Once we headed back to the National Geographic Endeavour, we got ready and left for another adventure. This time it was to explore the underwater world around Guy Fawkes Islet. A very playful sea lion was inviting us to get in the water as soon as we got there. A big school of striped salemas and surgeon Fishes were the owners of our waters today.
After leaving Santa Cruz behind, we disembarked on a little homecoming beach, an excellent place to relax and breathe fresh air. The calm waters between Chinese Hat and Santiago are perfect for snorkeling and kayaking. These two activities were very enjoyable today, to the point that some of us saw white tip reef sharks, trumped fishes and some penguins in the water.
Once again we had an outstanding day, learning about the wonders and the special taste of nature in the Galápagos.
