Santa Cruz Island , 1/4/2024, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Today, we visited my home island, Santa Cruz. This inhabited island offers the perfect opportunity to learn about the conservation programs that preserve the unique fauna and flora of the Galapagos archipelago. We visited the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. Our guests enjoyed walking and shopping in town, and up we went on buses to the highlands to observe the giant tortoises in their environment.
This trip is an adventure and a learning experience at the same time. A local group of musicians came on board to entertain as we ended our perfect day in paradise!
Vanessa Gallo’s grandparents arrived in the Galápagos Islands in 1936, making her the third generation of her family to live and work in this magical archipelago. She left the islands for the capital city of Quito for high school, where she discovere...
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As the early morning rays began to peek over the cone spattered profile of Floreana Island, our early bird guests woke to greet the day with a kayak excursion and Zodiac cruise along the shores. During their exploration, guests encountered juvenile blacktip sharks, marine turtles, rays, sleepy sea lions, and many birds, including a rare sighting of the white tern! After a delicious breakfast in the Beagle Grill, everyone headed out to further explore Post Office Bay, the lands where whalers, pirates, and the first colonizers of Galapagos explored. The group visited the ingenious Post Office barrel to continue a long existing tradition of hand delivering mail around the world. Afterward, we went deep into the earth (~30m) via a lava tunnel to explore the beautiful geological formations created by volcanoes. The day was far from over, as these were only the morning activities. After lunch everyone enjoyed a spectacular snorkel at Champion Islet where they encountered colorful reef fish, sea lions, rainbow runners, and more. A peaceful walk around Punta Cormorant at sunset to view flamingos and a storytelling session of the human history from Gaby after dinner, was the perfect way to finish a beautiful day.
Today’s morning adventure took us to Urbina Bay on Isabela Island. The highlight was spotting land iguanas and giant tortoises in the wild for the first time. Guests were thrilled to observe these incredible creatures in their natural habitat. The lush landscape was filled with Darwin's finches. In the afternoon, we hiked to a stunning viewpoint at Tagus Cove. The trail led us through dry, rugged terrain with glimpses of endemic plants. At the summit, the panoramic view was unforgettable.
Early this morning we rose to the outstanding view of Punta Pitt, located on the capital island of San Cristobal. After breakfast we initiated a strenuous hike along breathtaking tuff cones, following Darwin´s footsteps, as he once visited both sites on board HMS Beagle . On this walk, we had the chance to witness the coexistence of three species of boobies as well as some endemic lava lizards and mockingbirds. Later in the day, we took time to enjoy the beach and also with two rounds of kayaking along the cliffs of Cerro Brujo. Some of the kayakers were delighted and rewarded with a visit from bottlenose dolphins. We concluded our day with a circumnavigation of Kicker Rock.
