Los Islotes & Bonanza Bay
Our day started in a great way as the National Geographic Sea Bird dropped her anchor at Los Islotes shortly after sunrise. Located on the extreme north of the Espiritu Santo archipelago National Park, Los Islotes is home of a number of California sea lions and many marine birds, whose droppings had accumulated over time and give the volcanic rocks a white, winter-like appearance.
Early morning Zodiac outings gave us the opportunity to get close and take photographs of all kinds of creatures including yellow-footed gulls, blue footed and brown boobies, great blue herons and even a peregrine falcon. After that, we grabbed our fins, masks and wet suits and went snorkeling with the sea lions. Their grace, agility and maneuverability underwater is something else, and we all enjoyed their antics, including their attempts to “play chicken” with us by swimming fast and expelling bubbles in our faces!
Later in the afternoon we arrived to the opposite end of the National Park, the beautiful long and sandy Bonanza Bay on Espiritu Santo Island. Being relatively close to the peninsula, the flora and fauna community of Espiritu Santo is more complex than those of other islands and make it a great place to hike.
We divided into different groups and explored the arroyo, flats and hills around the bay looking for such endemic species as the antelope ground squirrel or the black jackrabbit. We learned about the incredible adaptations that desert plants need in order to thrive in such a demanding environment; giant cardon cacti, sour pitahaya and Adam’s tree were some of the flora species that made the delight of both those who love everything natural and photographers.
The sun slowly made its way down to the mountains in the west while many more pixels were used, and our second day in the Sea of Cortez came to an end.
Our day started in a great way as the National Geographic Sea Bird dropped her anchor at Los Islotes shortly after sunrise. Located on the extreme north of the Espiritu Santo archipelago National Park, Los Islotes is home of a number of California sea lions and many marine birds, whose droppings had accumulated over time and give the volcanic rocks a white, winter-like appearance.
Early morning Zodiac outings gave us the opportunity to get close and take photographs of all kinds of creatures including yellow-footed gulls, blue footed and brown boobies, great blue herons and even a peregrine falcon. After that, we grabbed our fins, masks and wet suits and went snorkeling with the sea lions. Their grace, agility and maneuverability underwater is something else, and we all enjoyed their antics, including their attempts to “play chicken” with us by swimming fast and expelling bubbles in our faces!
Later in the afternoon we arrived to the opposite end of the National Park, the beautiful long and sandy Bonanza Bay on Espiritu Santo Island. Being relatively close to the peninsula, the flora and fauna community of Espiritu Santo is more complex than those of other islands and make it a great place to hike.
We divided into different groups and explored the arroyo, flats and hills around the bay looking for such endemic species as the antelope ground squirrel or the black jackrabbit. We learned about the incredible adaptations that desert plants need in order to thrive in such a demanding environment; giant cardon cacti, sour pitahaya and Adam’s tree were some of the flora species that made the delight of both those who love everything natural and photographers.
The sun slowly made its way down to the mountains in the west while many more pixels were used, and our second day in the Sea of Cortez came to an end.
