Cerro Dragon & Sombrero Chino
Today was a day full of activities, and we enjoyed every second at these two wonderful places of the Galápagos Islands.
After our breakfast we went for a hike towards Cerro Dragon; translated into English, it is called Dragon Hill. This is due to the amount of land iguanas that live near a volcanic cone. At this place we waked through an endemic forest where the giant prickly pear cactus and the incense trees were more predominant. The land iguanas of this site were just starting to go under the trees near our trail in order to protect themselves from the sun; one crossed right in front of us!
Later in the morning, many activities were offered to our guests. The most popular one was the deep water snorkeling at Guy Fawkes Islets, situated about one mile from Cerro Dragon. The visibility and the water temperature were amazing. This allowed us to see lots of fish and some marine invertebrates.
Some of us went to enjoy the beach, which is composed of coralline sand; this was the best time for swimming and relaxing.
During lunch we navigated to Sombrero Chino Island. That name means Chinese Hat in English; it truly looks like one. All our activities of the afternoon were done in a sheltered channel that is in between Sombrero Chino Island and Santiago Island.
We went deep water snorkeling, kayaking, Zodiac riding and we had some beach time. The weather and the water conditions also accompanied us in the afternoon. We spotted penguins, sea lions, striated herons, and brown pelicans, among others. For most of us, the deep water snorkeling was probably the highlight, since the water was so clear.
After a wonderful day we had our traditional briefing and recap and then a barbeque in the outer decks right below the starry night. What a way to finish the day!
