Saturday, March 4, was a victory of sorts. The guests on this latest tour of the Galapagos Islands aboard the Polaris had finally arrived on the ship, after air journeys that ranged from effortless to harrowing. Nevertheless, we were glad to be here, and excited about getting onto the islands.
The first excursion from the ship was aboard the fleet of Zodiacs, exploring the shoreline of Santa Cruz Island. We did not land at the beach, owing to the preponderance of red mangroves and basaltic rocks, but through the wonders of telephoto lenses and digital zooms, we were able to get as close to nature as we wanted after innumerable hours in airplanes.
One particular highlight of this brief trip was the spotting of a land iguana, hiding in the foliage near one of the rocky outcrops. After some mild scrutiny of us, it turned its head to a profile view suitable for photography. Our naturalist guides were as surprised to see it as we were delighted, for apparently these are uncommon visitors to the rocky shore of Santa Cruz.
