Northwest of Santa Cruz is a place known as Dragon Hill, home to a special animal that we hoped to find today–the yellow land iguana. Our adventurous guests joined us for an early exploration. We crossed lava rocks, beaches, ponds, and muddy trails. We were surrounded by the greens and reds of the plants, which paint the island with an outstanding mosaic of color. On our hike, we encountered the yellow land iguana. We also observed seabirds, marine iguanas, lava lizards, and fish in the tide pools.

After returning to the ship, we got ready for a new adventure. We were heading to a small island called Guy Fawkes for snorkeling, where we hoped to observe more fish, sharks, rays, and turtles.

In the afternoon, we move to a different location. We went out to explore by Zodiac, kayak, and paddleboard. We found many animals along the coast. Meanwhile, the Global Explorers had Zodiac driving lessons. We all had a blast!

At sunset, we enjoyed Latin music and a wine tasting on the sundeck while we circumnavigated around Daphne Major Island. Here, Peter and Rosemary Grant researched finches for a book called The Beak of the Finch.

This has been the day of a lifetime! We love being here and exploring the Galapagos archipelago aboard National Geographic Endeavour II.