Santiago Island, 3/13/2025, National Geographic Delfina
Aboard the
National Geographic Delfina
Galápagos
Today we visited the island of Santiago. In the morning, we explored the coastline of Puerto Egas and also spent some time on the beach observing the friendly creatures resting on the rocks.
In the afternoon, we explored Buccaneer Cove by kayak, snorkeling, and Zodiac riding. The western side of Santiago offered remarkable moments observing wildlife and great moments for photography.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
Giant tortoises made for a grand finale! The island of Santa Cruz is home not only to giant tortoises but also to the headquarters of the Galápagos National Park and the facilities of the Charles Darwin Research Station. From small, teacup-sized tortoise hatchlings all the way to the true giants at over 400 pounds, this is their home. Many of them will be returned to their island of origin once they are large enough to withstand the trials of life in the wild. The tortoises are free to roam the flanks of this island and wander where they will. They spend time inside the Tortoise Reserve established by the park and travel over private property, under fences, and across roads.
As the light increased, those of us on the top deck were exposed to an awe-inspiring frigatebird flight formation with the half-moon as backdrop. They were getting a free ride with our updraft, and they jostled continuously for the primo spot above our heads. Spending another full day in the western province of Galapagos was a delight. Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove left nothing out, with encounters of giant tortoises, land iguanas, Darwin finches galore, vistas, human history carved into the tuff stone, and even the normally elusive dark-billed cuckoo!
This morning found us navigating around the northern region of Isabela Island on our way to Punta Vicente Roca. As we arrived at the anchorage site, we lowered our pangas and went on a coastal exploration to look for wildlife. At Punta Vicente Roca we saw marine iguanas, fur seals, penguins, cormorants and green sea turtles. After a great panga ride, we continued looking for sea life and we were pleased to find a large pod of pilot whales, more than a hundred all together. As we arrived at Punta Espinoza, we finished lunch and then went for an early snorkeling adventure and found many sea turtles and marine iguanas feeding at the bottom. Later in the afternoon, we had a great walk on Punta Espinoza where we found large piles of marine iguanas and some Galapagos snakes.
