Our last full day brings us back to San Cristóbal, the easternmost island of the Enchanted Isles. This stunning island has a variety of amazing landscapes, as well as a high rate of endemism being one of the oldest. In the morning we explored Punta Pitt, located in the northeast part of the island. This was the first outcrop of rock sighted by the crew of the HMS Beagle when it arrived in Galápagos in 1835. In the afternoon, we moved to a new anchorage: Cerro Brujo, where a long and beautiful beach of white sands is home to a large colony of Galápagos sea lions.
3/14/2023
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Isabela Island
We are experiencing an unusual rainy season in the Galapagos. We woke up to a beautiful blue sky at Urbina Bay with clear views of volcanos surrounding our ship. By 8:00 a.m., we were ready to explore Urbina Bay. The bay was underwater until 1954 when the powers of nature pushed the area up almost 20 feet. Over time, the area became the home and nesting grounds of many species, including land iguanas. The largest tortoise on Earth is found here near Alcedo Volcano. We made a wet landing. As soon as we disembarked, we observed a prehistoric creature basking on the beach, one of the well-known dragons of the Galapagos Islands. The black marine iguanas are the only seafaring lizards. Along the trail, we found yellow iguanas, or land iguanas. These iguanas do not swim and spend 99% of their time looking for food on the ground. We also observed giant tortoises and nesting mockingbirds. It was a hot day, and we enjoyed a little dip in the water to end our successful morning. We had a very busy afternoon with kayaking, paddleboarding, and snorkeling in Tagus Cove. We ended the day with a great hike and a dinghy ride during a magnificent sunset.
