This morning, National Geographic Endeavour II dropped anchor on the northeastern side of San Cristobal Island. We landed soon after breakfast and hiked up to Mount Pitt and searched for red-footed boobies.
In the afternoon we navigated to Cerro Brujo, in the central part of the island, where we explored the beach by Zodiacs, kayaks and paddle boards. Our guests had another extraordinary day in the Galapagos. For a great finale, we navigated by an impressive volcanic formation in the middle of the ocean, Kicker Rock.
Socrates was raised on Santa Cruz Island located in the heart of Galapagos Archipelago. After a childhood filled with swimming, scuba diving, rock climbing and volunteering in conservation projects, he grew very passionate about the outdoors and the natural world.
Today we visited two islands in the center of the archipelago. On Bartholomew, we climbed a wooden staircase to the top of an old cinder cone for a chance to see the famous vista that captures many islands at once, in addition to Pinnacle Rock. In the afternoon, we navigated towards Sombrero Chino, where we had a great time snorkeling from Zodiacs and spotting wildlife. This is the home of a small colony of Galapagos penguins as well as Galapagos sea lions.
We anchored off the coast of Santa Cruz to admire a vast incense tree forest and black lava fields from a distance. After breakfast, we had a dry landing onto a lava field, which soon led us to Dragon Hill, the natural habitat of the Galapagos land iguanas. These yellowish dragon-like reptiles are unique to the Enchanted Isles.
Along the trail through the incense tree forest, we were fascinated by a juvenile land iguana, only a few months old. It is rare to see baby land iguanas, as they often hide from potential predators in vegetation. One baby land iguana was found resting on a branch of a short bush.
On this trail, we spotted several nests of these iconic reptiles. Some females rested in their burrows. A couple of males with their bright yellow coloration guarded the trail as we photographed them.
After the hike, we returned to ship to get ready for deep water snorkeling around Guy Fawkes Islets. The underwater scene was fantastic! Plenty of schools of yellow-tailed razor surgeonfish, a couple of playful sea lions in the water, lots of colorful invertebrates along the vertical wall. It could not have been better!
After a delightful Ecuadorian lunch, we had the opportunity to go kayaking, paddle-boarding, and Zodiac riding along the coast of “Bahia Borrero,” a visitor site along the coast of Santa Cruz Island. We ended an incredible expedition day with a wine tasting at sunset on the sky deck, as we navigated around Daphne Islet.
Today, our land exploration of Santa Cruz started with a visit to Los Gemelos, a geological formation located in the highlands of the island. Our second stop along the road was Manzanillo Farm, where we enjoyed the presence of more than 50 tortoises roaming freely around us. After witnessing the gentleness of these giants, we came back onboard to rest before getting ready for a visit to Las Bachas. This white sandy beach was the perfect spot to snorkel and swim in crystal clear waters. During a hike, a flamingo showed up in one of the brackish lagoons. A full day with a combination of experiences that revealed the wonders of the Galapagos.
