Santa Cruz Island, 3/6/2025, National Geographic Delfina
Aboard the
National Geographic Delfina
Galápagos
Visiting Santa Cruz is always a treat. The main characters of the day were the giant tortoises that we observed at the Breeding Center and the ones we found in the wild in the highlands of Santa Cruz. In addition, we observed many species of land birds and had an immersive experience learning about the local culture of this island.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
Today aboard National Geographic Delfina we enjoyed the last full day of our expedition in the Galapagos Islands. Our guests had a wonderful time exploring Rabida Island, a magnificent place with a red-colored beach. The concentration of iron oxide makes this one of the most unique places in the world for geology. The day started with a wonderful kayaking session along the coast of Rabida, where our guests enjoyed spectacular views of the scenery with some sea lions passing by. After kayaking, we disembarked on the lovely beach and explored a brackish water lagoon where we observed flamingos, beautiful American oystercatchers, mockingbirds, and other migratory birds. Afterwards we enjoyed a snorkel session around the island and all the way back to the ship. A perfect way to finish our expedition in the beautiful Galapagos Islands.
Today aboard National Geographic Delfina we visited Santa Cruz Island for another day of exploration. We disembarked at the city pier and took some time to check out the city of Puerto Ayora, before then taking a bus ride into the highlands. Once in the highlands, we went to see the iconic Galapagos giant tortoises. We were lucky to see many roaming around the area, and our guests were able to take great pictures of themselves with the tortoises — a beautiful Christmas card picture. After visiting the tortoises, we walked over to a nice extension of the ranch, called “Galapagos Early Memories” from the Guerrero family; here our guests learned about the organic and sustainable production of sugar cane juice and moonshine. We enjoyed samples of these products and had a great time engaging with the local community.
It is the third day of exploration in the Galapagos and today we are visiting the mysterious island of Floreana. In the morning, we visited the historical Post Office Barrel where our guests took part in the tradition of leaving and selecting post cards for hand delivery upon their return home. After the barrel, some guests enjoyed a snorkeling session with baby sea lions while our guest John decided to go for a Zodiac ride and saw dolphins and other animals. In the afternoon, we visited Punta Cormorant and enjoyed a leisurely walk along the beach where the highlight was finding flamingos. This particular encounter was special as we found a vagrant Chilean flamingo hanging out with the Galapagos grater flamingos. It was another successful day full of adventure on the islands.
