Santiago Island, 4/12/2023, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Santiago is home to one of the many amazing restoration programs of the Galapagos archipelago. Santiago’s giant tortoises were on the brink of extinction in the past. Now, they roam the wild once more. Additionally, land iguanas were declared extinct on the island for over a hundred years. The iguanas are back and breeding.
Santiago was severely impacted by the many invasive animals that were introduced in the past. We rarely see any of these animals anymore, and the island will soon be declared pristine.
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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Santa Cruz Island is in the heart of the Galapagos, is the second largest in size, and is the most populated by humans. Both the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galapagos National Park administrations are based here. We visited the Tortoise Breeding Center, and the captive breeding program allowed us to understand the value of protecting their habitat through responsible use. We made our way to the highlands where we found ourselves in a different world, with lush green vegetation serving as a home for large reptiles. We observed the giant tortoises in their natural habitat as well as giant daisy-like trees, a rare species of the Galapagos Island. Here we enjoyed a pure sense of exploration at different elevations and in different habitats.
The highlight of the day was implementing our tools of exploration. We had an amazing experience exploring the Galapagos coastline by Zodiac cruising, paddleboarding, kayaking, and snorkeling. We also had fun on land, crossing lava rocks and uneven terrain as we encountered magnificent wildlife. Photos by Andres Cruz and Ixora Berdonces
Today we continued to explore the western region of this unique archipelago. While hiking at Urbina Bay at the base of Alcedo Volcano, we encountered about twenty Galapagos giant tortoises actively feeding on the nutritious vegetation that can be found in the lowlands at this time of the year. After this exciting hike, our guests had the opportunity to swim from a black sand beach while our Global Explorers joined visiting scientist Professor Noa Shenkar and our undersea specialist on a plankton tow. Once back on board National Geographic Gemini , we observed the results of our tow under the video microscope and also looked at the ascidian samples collected by Noa as part of a collaboration with the Galapagos National Park and Charles Darwin Research Station. The afternoon was spent snorkeling and Zodiac cruising at Punta Vicente Roca among sea lions, marine turtles, flightless cormorants, penguins, sharks, and an array of colorful fish. We ended the day with a wine tasting event on deck to celebrate crossing the equator and a presentation by another guest scientist, Dr. Inti Keith, on the work of the Charles Darwin Research Station. It was another day packed with unforgettable experiences in the Galapagos!
