Santa Cruz Island, 8/9/2022, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Guests spent the day exploring the island of Santa Cruz. One of the four inhabited islands in Galapagos, Santa Cruz has the largest human population, and the island is considered the economic hub of the province. Passengers spent the morning learning about the important research done at the Charles Darwin Foundation. Before lunch, we visited a farm in the highlands, where we experienced some of the daily farming activities in the Galapagos.
We spent the afternoon looking for Santa Cruz giant tortoises at a beautiful ranch in the highlands. We walked the trails of the farm. We spotted giant tortoises, learned about the behavioral ecology of these magnificent creatures, and spent quite some time taking photos.
We ended the day enjoying our traditional recap, followed by a delicious dinner on board National Geographic Endeavour II.
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.
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Today we visited South Plazas to the north of Santa Cruz and Bowditch Beach on the west side of Santa Cruz. The former is home to Galapagos land iguanas, which we observed feeding on prickly pear cacti and basking on rocks. We also observed a variety of seabirds and sea lions playing on the shore. Bowditch Beach was a great place to relax and observe the beautiful scenery on our last full day in the Galapagos.
Today we woke up in one of the most spectacular settings found in the Galapagos, right in front of popular Pinnacle Rock on Bartolome Island. We started our morning with a pre-breakfast hike all the way to the top of the island. Non-hikers had the chance to take a Zodiac tour. By 8:00 am, we had seen penguins, toured alongside dolphins in the Zodiacs, and witnessed the most amazing geological formations. Bartolome Island is a volcanic islet located in the Galápagos Islands. It is known for its stunning landscapes and unique wildlife. The island is relatively small and covers an area of just 1.2 square kilometers (0.5 square miles). It is famous for its iconic landmark, Pinnacle Rock, which is a distinctive volcanic formation rising from the ocean. The area is also known to hold a small population of Galápagos penguins, the only penguin species found in the Northern Hemisphere. These penguins have adapted to the warm climate of the islands and are the second smallest penguin species in the world. They primarily inhabit the western part of the archipelago, including Bartolome Island. We spent the entire morning here. During lunch, we navigated to Chinese Hat. Also known as Sombrero Chino, Chinese Hat is another small, volcanic island located near Santiago Island in the Galápagos archipelago. It derives its name from its appearance, as the shape of the island resembles a traditional Chinese hat. Similar to Bartolome, Chinese Hat is characterized by volcanic formations. Once we arrived, we got ready for water activities. Guests went kayaking and snorkeling, and others boarded Zodiacs for a coastal exploration during sunset. The geology here is so interesting. The islands were formed through volcanic activity millions of years ago. They are located on the Nazca Plate, a tectonic plate in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Volcanic eruptions occurred over time and shaped the islands, creating a diverse range of landscapes and geological features. What a great day we had in the Galapagos!
This morning, we explored the northern side of Santa Cruz Island, and our first outing took us to see the Galapagos dragons. This land iguana inhabits the palo santo dry forest. As soon as we disembarked, marine iguanas greeted us as they sunbathed on the Sesuvium carpetweed found along the shoreline. We walked along the trail and found a brackish water lagoon that is usually visited by birds like white-cheeked pintail ducks, black-necked stilts, and sometimes flamingos. Later, we passed through the dry forest of palo santo and breathed in its fragrant aroma as we headed to observe the eroded volcanic ash on the trail. Land iguanas are endemic to this archipelago and can be found nesting in the area or just relaxing under a prickly pear cactus tree. We saw a spectacular number of iguanas, counting twenty during our walk. The bright colors of the iguanas make them a very exciting sight, which our guests enjoyed very much. Later in the afternoon, our younger explorers took Zodiac driving lessons in the company of their parents and a naturalist guide. It was the highlight of the day for them. The rest of our guests opted between getting some exercise while kayaking along the shoreline of Borrero Bay or simply took it slower and joined a Zodiac tour in the area. During the afternoon, we observed big flocks of blue-footed boobies, which are not often seen in high numbers. We also observed brown pelicans, striated herons, baby blacktip sharks, a small eagle ray, and lava gulls. We ended our day by enjoying a glass of wine while circumnavigating Daphne Major and observing the stunning sunset.
