Santa Cruz Island, 1/7/2025, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Today our guests explored Santa Cruz Island. After a delicious breakfast we landed at Puerto Ayora, which is the home port of most of the tour operations in the Galapagos. This town is also where the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station are located. Today our guests learned about the iconic giant tortoise restoration project and hiked into giant tortoise territory.
Salvador Cazar studied biology at the Universidad Nacional Del Sur, Bahía Blanca, in Argentina and at the Catholic University of Ecuador. Between 1988 and 1994, Salvador worked as a naturalist and tour leader for several national and international to...
Our day on San Cristóbal Island began at Pitt Point, the island’s easternmost landing site. As we climbed the rugged trail through eroded tuff formations, we were greeted by the sight of red-footed boobies nesting in the Galapagos clubleaf while blue-footed boobies performed their signature courtship dance along the path. In the late morning, we made our way to the dreamy white coral beach of Witch Hill, a tranquil stretch of sand framed by turquoise waters and dramatic volcanic formations. Galápagos sea lions slept peacefully under the sun while ghost crabs darted playfully between their tracks. Offshore, the striking silhouette of Kicker Rock stood like a cathedral in the sea, a preview of our afternoon adventure. As the sun dipped lower, we explored Kicker Rock by panga. Towering nearly 500 feet above the sea, these twin tuff cones cleaved by a narrow channel offered dramatic views both above and below the surface. Bottlenose dolphins were traveling along the coastline of San Cristobal while our guests enjoyed their presence from the decks of National Geographic Gemini . From land to sea, from cliffs to coral sand, today captured the breathtaking diversity that makes San Cristóbal so unforgettable.
On our very first expedition day, during the morning we visited the small island of South Plazas. Not too far from the landing site we spotted the Galapagos yellow land iguana. We saw many iguanas under the prickly pear cacti, taking advantage of the fallen pads, as it is their main food source on the island. Also on South Plazas, guests were impacted by the dramatic cliffs and the different species of marine birds flying around — one that especially stood out was the red-billed tropicbird. In the afternoon we visited the island of Santa Fe, where we enjoyed the first snorkeling opportunity of our trip in the beautiful bay. We were greeted by a colony of playful Galapagos sea lions underwater. After snorkeling, we landed on a white sandy beach to start our walk along the arid forest of the Galapagos Islands. We saw many giant prickly pears; the stunning formations with tree-like trunks captivated the attention of our guests. It was indeed a great start for our trip of a lifetime.
Today, our adventure began on North Seymour, where guests took their first hike on Galápagos soil. We watched blue-footed boobies performing their quirky courtship dance, their bright feet a striking contrast against the rocky landscape. Along the trail, we spotted both species of frigatebirds – the magnificent and the great frigatebird. We learned to tell them apart by their size, the color of their throat pouches, and flight patterns. Land iguanas lounged nearby with their golden scales blending into the dry terrain. In the afternoon, we reached Rábida, known for its red sands and stunning views. Here, our guests took their first snorkeling plunge, swimming alongside playful sea lions, colorful parrotfish, and the graceful silhouette of a sea turtle. Before heading back, we visited a small lagoon, where a few flamingos stood quietly, their pink feathers reflected in the still waters – a fitting end to an unforgettable day.
