Today we started our expedition with a pre-breakfast hike on Plaza Island. Galapagos sea lions, many seabirds, and Galapagos marine iguanas and land iguanas surrounded us. This is a very small islet, but it has many sites to see. After breakfast, we moved to Santa Fe Island. We had the opportunity to do our first round of kayaking and snorkeling in a beautiful bay with many sea turtles and baby sea lions. To end the day, we hiked along Santa Fe. We spotted our third species of iguana today, the Santa Fe land iguana.
11/14/2023
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National Geographic Islander II
Santa Fe and San Cristobal Islands
Our expedition is almost ending, and we spent our last day visiting the unique island of Santa Fe, located in the southeastern portion of the archipelago. Our morning started with multiple activities. While kayaking in Santa Fe Bay, guests were followed by playful Galapagos sea lions. Meanwhile, part of our group took a hike on a rocky trail to search for Santa Fe land iguanas. With its pale coloration, the species is exclusive to Santa Fe Island. Early in the morning, we found the iguanas emerging from nests as they got ready for the warmth of the sun. Finally, we were ready for breakfast! The morning had just started, though, and after breakfast we prepared for snorkeling. We were surrounded by sea lions in this calm bay. In the afternoon, we landed at the most beautiful white sand beach, Cerro Brujo. This was the first site that Charles Darwin landed the H.M.S Beagle on San Cristobal. Galapagos sea lions were sound asleep along the beach, and we enjoyed our last swim in the calm waters.