Santa Cruz Island, 10/3/2019, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Today National Geographic Endeavour II arrived early in the morning with the first light of the day to the southern part of Santa Cruz Island, called Academy Bay, in front of the charming town of Puerto Ayora.
Today we spent the whole day focused on the giant tortoises—in the morning we visited the Charles Darwin Research Station and, in the afternoon, the natural reserve El Chato to observe these unique giant reptiles in the wild.
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...
Rodrigo Moterani was born in Brazil, where he still lives. After spending his teen years playing with camcorders and VCRs, Rodrigo ended up working in the field of television journalism and video production in his home country. He graduated with a de...
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
As this journey begins, National Geographic Endeavour II awakens at North Seymour Island, almost dead center in the archipelago. This low-lying, uplifted volcanic island does not appear to hold much, however it is brimming with wildlife as we land. Walking among great and magnificent frigatebirds, with males trying to attract mates, we encounter Galapagos land iguanas highly camouflaged against the rocky background with endemic lava lizards fleeting about. The bright cerulean color of the blue-footed boobies stands out as we explore this land before time. The afternoon brings us to Rabida Island and its incredible contrast with its deep red, oxidized volcanic landscape, the only such island in the Galapagos. Exploration along the coast with kayaking or snorkeling, we encounter the ocean busy with wildlife, including Galapagos sea lions, whitetip reef sharks, and colorful reef fish. A sunset walk along the red sand beach allows us to get close to the sea lions as the sun dips below the horizon.
During our final full day of exploration, we arrived at Santiago Island. This Island has many visitor sites and so much to offer our guests using many tools of exploration, such as our glass bottom boat, kayaks, Zodiac rides, paddle boards, and snorkeling activities. Santiago Island has been restored and it is common to see endemic and native animals and plants that only belong to this Island. This expedition is an experience that will stay in our guests’ memories forever.
Today we explored Bartolome and Chinese Hat, two of the best spots on the island of Santiago. We had special encounters throughout the day, spotting the Galapagos penguin, sea lions, and blue-footed boobies. We also saw a number of sea creatures during our snorkeling activities. We finished the day with a delicious dinner on the sky deck of National Geographic Endeavour II .
