We started our day with a beautiful sunrise and a stretching session with our wellness specialist, followed by a very nutritious breakfast prepared by our wonderful team of cooks. Today was an exciting day as we went to visit a very different ecosystem that our guests had not seen or experienced before. We explored the humid highlands in Santa Cruz Island, the most central island in the archipelago and the island with the largest human population. After disembarkation, our Zodiacs took us to the Itabaca Channel, a very narrow and shallow area that divides Santa Cruz from Baltra Island. Several buses were waiting for us so we could start our morning adventure. The ride was not long, only about 40 minutes, and it flew by as we enjoyed the scenery of the diverse vegetation zones of the island. After arriving at the ranch and putting on our rubber boots, we were ready to find those giants, the Galapagos giant tortoises. The naturalists shared their ample knowledge about these ancient and iconic animals. Then we enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by our cooks and the Manzanillo Ranch team. After a relaxing time, we boarded buses to return to our wonderful floating hotel. We enjoyed a naturalist’s presentation on the oceanography of the Galapagos Islands. Our day was not over yet; it was now time to explore the pristine white sandy beach of Bachas, located in the north of Santa Cruz. Our guests enjoyed the soft sand, warm sun, and lots of wildlife sightings, including some Galapagos flamingos. After relaxing and bathing in the sea, we came back to National Geographic Endeavour II and listened to our recap session and a briefing for the next day’s activities. What a day!
5/25/2022
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Santiago Island: Puerto Egas and Buccaneer’s Cove
Guests onboard National Geographic Endeavour II spent the day exploring Santiago Island. We disembarked for an early morning photo walk at Espumilla Beach, and guests enjoyed picture-perfect lighting. We observed sea turtle activity, including tracks and nests. Blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans were busy diving along the shoreline. Many guests opted to go on a photo walk, where a certified photo instructor gave tips to photographers. After our walk, we returned to the ship for breakfast. Guests had the opportunity to participate in a variety of excursions after breakfast, including kayaking, paddleboarding, glass-bottom boating, and snorkeling. All activities took place at Buccaneer’s Cove, a sheltered area with a wide variety of wildlife. This site is a wonderful place to see tropical fish species, rays, and sharks. Guests returned to the ship for a riveting lecture on the interesting life of Charles Darwin. Darwin spent most of his time in the Galapagos on Santiago Island. After lunch, we disembarked at Puerto Egas. Guests had the option to go on a natural history walk or enjoy snorkeling from the beach. Lindblad adopted Santiago Island in 2006 to help preserve the island’s precious wildlife. Efforts were made to eradicate the invasive species that decimated the populations of giant tortoises and land iguanas. Today, the national park has repatriated many Galapagos land iguanas to the island. We hope to see them breeding and nesting in the near future. Puerto Egas is home to the Galapagos fur seal as well. We often see fur seals swimming through a system of grottos. There are no true seals in the Galapagos Islands. However, the Galapagos fur seal has an extra layer of fur coveted by sealers passing through the island in the 19th century. The ancestral species of the Galapagos fur seal comes from the south, whereas the ancestral species of the Galapagos sea lion hails from the north. Photo Caption: A Galapagos sea lion nurses on the sand at Puerto Egas. The Galapagos sea lion is endemic to the archipelago, having speciated from the California sea lion less than one million years ago. They are a fan favorite for guests and locals alike in the Galapagos. Photo by Alexandra Widman
