Today we visited the northern part of Santa Cruz. This area is pristine and uninhabited. After a dry landing on the lava rocks, we went farther inland to observe the Galapagos land iguanas. These endemic reptiles are found only in the Galapagos Archipelago. We were lucky to see several land iguanas right on the trail. This visitor site is very scenic, a wonderful place to capture landscape pictures. The afternoon was spent at Bahia Borrero. It was a busy afternoon with options for everyone! Kids were having fun learning how to drive Zodiacs, while kayakers and paddleboarders explored the coastal area. There were also Zodiac cruises, and we all enjoyed great weather conditions and the amazing wildlife. It is a unique opportunity to see Pacific green sea turtles, striated herons, blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans, baby blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, and even a tiger shark…all at the same time and in the same place. It was a fantastic day, and we made great memories!
3/20/2023
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Floreana Island
Today was the second full day of our expedition, and we started activities very early to make the most of it. Right after sunrise, we boarded Zodiacs to explore a very interesting visitor site on Floreana Island. Here, a green sand beach was waiting for us. We learned about different types of sand and why the green color of this beach is so special. As we walked a little farther, we arrived at a brackish water lagoon. Flamingos are often observed here, but today was really special. We found nearly 80 flamingos feeding at the lagoon. This sighting was not only rare but also very exciting! We kept walking and arrived at a beach known as “the flour beach.” The beach has a particular type of sand that is not only white but very fine, like flour. Walking there was a pleasure. We encountered a sea turtle laying her eggs and covering them with sand. We observed diamond stingrays along the shoreline as we walked along the beach. Our next activity was an amazing deep-water snorkel. We observed many species of colorful fish along with one of the largest colonies of sea lions in the Galapagos. The afternoon was equally interesting, maybe even better! We had the opportunity to visit Post Office Bay, the location of the first mailing system on the islands. Long ago, sailors deposited their mail here, and it was collected by other ships passing through on their way back home. Nowadays, the mail system still works the same way. Postcards are dropped off and then picked up by future visitors, who follow the tradition by hand-delivering the mail once they make it home. After this exciting adventure, we enjoyed the clear and warm waters at the beach. Today was another great day in this little piece of heaven on earth.
