Santa Fe and San Cristobal Islands, 11/24/2023, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
The Galapagos is a chain of islands, and some species are unique to one specific place. Today, we explored two different islands. Our mission was to continue searching for endemic species, including Santa Fe land iguanas, Santa Fe rice rats, San Cristobel mockingbirds, and a few endemic plants as well. Such a variety of species is the reason the Galapagos is a paradise for scientists, adventurous people, and, of course, young explorers.
Walter was born in a very small town on the mainland of Ecuador. His first trip to the Galápagos was when he was 12 years old, visiting friends and aunt, who had moved to the islands. From the first moment he saw the Islands, he fell in love with the...
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Our day started at Urbina Bay on the island of Isabela, the largest island in Galapagos. Through the dense vegetation we spotted some tunnels in the undergrowth. As we crouched down to look into the tunnel, we spied our first of many giant tortoises. We saw many more, of different sizes, either hiding in the undergrowth or sharing the same trail as us. After our hike many of us took the opportunity to take a refreshing dip in the sea before heading back to National Geographic Endeavour II. The afternoon at Tagus Cove, also on Isabela Island, was full of activity, including kayaking (where we watched pelicans fishing and marine turtles stick their heads above the surface) snorkeling (where we swam alongside penguins and cormorants chasing fish) and then a short hike up to a panoramic view of Darwin’s Lake. It was a great place to reflect on the perfect day we had!
Today we started early in the morning as we navigated to the youngest, western islands in the Galapagos, Fernandina and Isabela. We found marine mammals and many seabirds, and we were mesmerized by the volcanoes all around us. We made a dry landing to enjoy a 1.5-mile trail among a mess of marine iguanas. Our adventure was made even more special as two of our own got engaged this morning, and it was very emotional to us all. Wishing the best of love to Allison and Brian. We love you! Soon after the festivities, we enjoyed an impressive snorkeling outing with marine iguanas, turtles, octopus, sea lions, marine iguanas, and fish. Back on board and repositioned to our next visitor site, Isabela Island, for a Zodiac ride along the shore. Today we saw the Galapagos penguin up close and many more seabirds, sea lions, and fur-seals. We continued navigating, this time towards the equator to celebrate our expedition and an engagement fiesta among our new friends. Right now, we are in the lounge for our recap and briefing about tomorrow’s activities, ready for more magic from the Enchanted Islands. Today was a very special day.
Our day started with an invigorating hike to the top of a cinder cone known as Punta Pitt, located in the northeastern region of San Cristobal Island. After we returned from our hike, we started a great scenic navigation along the coast of San Cristobal on our way to Cerro Brujo. This afternoon we arrived at Cerro Brujo and had the chance to explore its coast by kayak along an impressive cliff made of volcanic cinder. Large fissures and caves have been carved over a long period of time by the action of waves and wind. We ended the afternoon with a navigation around Leon Dormido accompanied by a beautiful sunset.
