Today was giant tortoise day! There is no better place to find giant tortoises in the wild than Santa Cruz highlands. Our day started early in the morning taking our Zodiacs and landing for first time in the northern part of Santa Cruz Island. Then we took buses and after a scenic drive or less than 30 minutes we arrived at our first stop: The Twins. These two craters are amazing geological formations where we also had the opportunity to observe different species of finches and plants that are unique the humid zone. Later, we drove to Rancho Manzanillo, where giant tortoises roam freely around this beautiful property. After the visit, we had lunch on the ranch, and later we took again our buses back down again to the coast where we boarded our Zodiacs to get back to the ship. After some down time, we took out our Zodiacs, this time to visit a beautiful beach: Las Bachas. This was the perfect way of ending an unforgettable day.
11/29/2021
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Floreana Island
Today we woke up at Punta Cormorant, where we disembarked for an early pre-breakfast natural history walk. It was a great morning to appreciate the scenery of Floreana Island and to practice our photography skills while enjoying incredible wildlife along the changing landscape of the trail. We also visited a beach where we were lucky to see Pacific green sea turtle nests, and the tracks of recent hatchlings that had come out of the nest in the past few days. After breakfast, we went for a Zodiac ride along Champion Islet. This was a great opportunity to observe different species of sea birds such as brown noddy terns, frigate birds, and swallow tail gulls. We also had the chance to go deep water snorkeling along the shore of this islet, where sea lions were playing around guests. In the afternoon, some guests decided on kayaking and paddleboarding, while others went to visit Post Office Bay, where we found an opportunity to talk about the human history of the Galapagos. We ended the day at Post Office Beach, where some guests had a chance to walk along the beach while others went for a swim.
