Cerro Dragon & Sombrero Chino

After spending the whole day at Puerto Ayora visiting the Charles Darwin Research Station and the highlands with the Galápagos giant tortoises, this morning we woke up at a different location on the same island, Cerro Dragon. As soon as we were approaching Cerro Dragon, Spanish for Dragon’s Hill, our guests were very surprised to see the very arid scenery that dominated this area. This dry landscape was in fact very different from the lash vegetation we observed yesterday, even though we were on the same island and at about the same altitude. In Galápagos, this natural phenomenon occurs because of the strong southwestern winds that affect the southern slopes of most of the islands of the archipelago.

Our walk suddenly was interrupted by the presence of five colorful Greater flamingos that were seen in a small brackish lagoon. This great sighting was not only beautiful, but gave us the opportunity to understand that flamingos migrate within the Galápagos Islands looking for food in the different brackish lagoons around the archipelago.

Our adventure continued along the trail with the company of Darwin finches’ calls; these beautiful love songs allow them to attract the opposite sex. Without any doubt the Galápagos Islands are entering the wet-warm season, and instinct is telling the finches that this time of the year will provide them with plenty of food both for them and for their siblings as well.

The highlight of the morning was the observation of the Galápagos land iguanas in their natural habitat. We saw many individuals in their breeding coloration ready to start once again their breeding cycle.

As soon as we came back on board we went to Guy Fawkes islets for a deep water snorkeling outing. It was an amazing experience for we saw lots of fish species and Galápagos sea lions. In the afternoon, we went to a different location, “Sombrero Chino” (Chinese Hat). We had many activities around this area. There is a beautiful bay where we practiced kayaking, snorkeling, took a rest on a beach, and went on Zodiac rides.

At the end of this great day we went to the ship’s upper deck for a drink while we watched how the sun was setting behind the nearby Santiago Island.