Santa Cruz Island, 3/27/2023, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today was the first full day of our expedition. We visited Santa Cruz Island, where many activities awaited us. We visited the highlands to learn about the first settlers of the archipelago and their lifestyle. We drove to explore the primary forest of Santa Cruz and observed different species of land birds living in the area. We walked amongst giant tortoises along their migration route. To finish our eventful day, we visited the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center.
Cristian was born and raised on Santa Cruz Island, at the heart of the Galapagos Archipelago. He had the privilege of enjoying the beauty of the natural world of Galapagos every weekend, sailing in his family's small fishing boat. His parents passed ...
For the last full day of our expedition, we began with a beautiful early morning hike at Punta Pitt, in the northeast section of the island. This place is unique for its interesting landscape, and for being one of the three main places where red-footed boobies nest in the Galapagos. We had to walk uphill for several minutes, but we were well rewarded: we spotted blue-footed and red-footed boobies nesting, as well as some red-footed booby chicks. It was a great morning walk and everyone enjoyed. After a delicious breakfast on board, we returned to the beach for the last snorkeling of the trip; we saw sea turtles, sea lions, a lot of fish, and we even spotted an octopus hunting. As we were navigating to our site for the afternoon, we were so lucky to encounter pilot whales and dolphins. In the afternoon we visited one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos, Cerro Brujo. Here white sand mixes with the black lava field to create a special contrast, where some guests enjoyed a last chance to swim in the Galapagos waters and enjoy the wildlife around.
Early in the morning we visited the most wonderful beach of the Galapagos Islands: Gardner Bay. This stunning beach gave us the opportunity to relax and enjoy the company of the Galapagos sea lion. A big colony of these friendly mammals were basking in the sun on the beach and swimming in the water. Of course, snorkeling with them was great too, as the young sea lions love to play and swim with visitors. Our afternoon visit to Punta Suarez was incredible, as Espanola has unique biodiversity with species that only live there. After walking beside colonies of Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, and blue-footed boobies, we witnessed the majestic waved albatross, which breeds on Espanola Island from April to December. Guests of National Geographic Islander II watched them perform their magical mating dance, and also observed an albatross incubating its egg.
Today’s visit to Floreana Island began with an early kayaking outing along the coast of Post Office Bay. Before breakfast, our guests had an incredible experience paddling through calm waters where we spotted numerous green sea turtles, playful sea lions, and several blue-footed boobies diving skillfully in a frenzied feeding display. After kayaking, we landed at Post Office Bay. Here, our guests learned about the historic wooden barrel that served as one of the first postal systems in the South Pacific. Following tradition, they exchanged postcards, leaving their own messages and taking a few to hand-deliver once back home. Later, we headed to Champion Islet for an unforgettable snorkeling session. The clear waters revealed a vibrant underwater world, teeming with colorful reef fish, whitetip reef sharks, and curious sea lions that swam among us. In the afternoon, National Geographic Islander II navigated to Punta Cormorant. We landed on a unique green-hued beach, its color caused by olivine crystals, then hiked to a nearby lagoon where we observed dozens of striking Galápagos flamingos. The trail ended at a pristine white sand beach, a known nesting site for sea turtles. We found fresh nests and several turtles swimming just offshore.
