South Plaza & Santa Fe, 8/25/2022, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
It is the beginning of our expedition aboard National Geographic Islander II, and today we visited two central islands, Plaza and Santa Fe. These two islands offered us land iguanas and one of the largest colonies of sea lions in the archipelago. We all got the chance to explore the islands by land and sea, and we enjoyed amazing encounters with the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands.
Charles was raised in the Galápagos Islands. He is the grandson of Rolf Wittmer, the first person documented to have been born on the island of Floreana after his parents, Margret and Heinz Wittmer, emigrated from Germany in 1932.
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On the final day of our expedition, we crossed to the western side of the Galapagos archipelago on board National Geographic Islander II. Last, but not least, we visited the youngest islands of the archipelago. With ages of only 500,000 to 700,000 years, they are the babies of the Galapagos, in geological time. Their location at the upwelling zone of the Cromwell current makes this one of the most productive areas in the Galapagos. We started our day with an early whale-watching activity, while heading to Fernandina Island. We anchored at Punta Vicente Roca, where we started with an amazing walk; here we encountered the biggest population of marine iguanas in the archipelago. To conclude the morning activities, we explored the marine life of Fernandina. In the afternoon we had a spectacular Zodiac ride along the coast of Isabela, around the “mouth” of this seahorse-shaped island. We encountered a couple of orcas and dolphins to finish the day.
Today we explored two wonderful locations around Santiago Island. Chinese Hat, a small islet, is a geological wonder. Shaped like a traditional Chinese hat, this volcanic formation showcases the raw, untamed beauty of the archipelago. The island is dotted with volcanic cones and hardened lava flows, providing a unique landscape for exploration. We went kayaking and Zodiac-riding; we also explored beneath the waves with the glass-bottom boat and snorkeling. Nearby, Sullivan Bay complements the experience with its expansive, otherworldly lava fields. We explored the area with our naturalist, learning about the geological features of this lava flow that is only 130 years old.
We started the morning with a walk along the coast of Fernandina Island. We were surrounded by marine iguanas and baby sea lions. After the walk we headed to the snorkeling area, where we were submerged in crystal-clear waters with marine iguanas, sea turtles, flightless cormorants, and Galápagos penguins. We also had an amazing encounter with a hawk hunting marine iguanas right in front of us! During the afternoon we crossed Bolivar’s channel to visit Isabela Island. We went out for a Zodiac ride, and we were able to get very close to the coastline; we spotted Galápagos fur seals, marine iguanas, sea turtles, Galápagos sea lions, Galápagos penguins, and flightless cormorants. Later on, the Captain and crew took National Geographic Islander II towards the equator line. We celebrated our crossing of the equator with a wine tasting during sunset. What a wonderful way to end our expedition.
