San Cristobal Island, 4/26/2024, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
On our last full day, we still had two amazing visitor sites to explore. An impressive fact is that some species are endemic only to San Cristobal, and we anticipate encountering them today.
The degree of endemism in this archipelago is extraordinary. It seems like most of the plants and animals exist only in this lost paradise.
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 a strategic location in the Galapagos and offers the best opportunities to observe the famous Galapagos giant tortoises in captivity and in their natural habitat at all stages of life. The island is also the home of the tortoise breeding center, making this visitor site one of the most visited places in the Galapagos. In the morning, we visited the center and had the opportunity to see baby tortoises from five different islands. Soon, they will be released back to their home island. Since the creation of the tortoise breeding center, it has been a success, thanks to the support of our guests.
Early in the morning, we visited a fascinating place called Punta Cormorant, a great place to take pictures and admire the incredible scenery. We found dancing blue-footed boobies and flamingos feeding in a big brackish water lagoon. Later, we snorkeled around Champion Islet, a place full of marine wildlife. The highlight was a playful sea lion. In the afternoon, we engaged in several activities. We explored the shoreline of Post Office Bay by kayak or paddleboard. Additionally, we visited the oldest mailing system in South America, established 234 years ago by sailors. Remarkably, this system still operates today with all the visitors to the Galapagos Islands. We ended our day swimming and snorkeling on the beach of this magical island.
An expedition in Galapagos starts with a sensory overload right off the airplane. Before we even reached the buses, sea lions were swimming next to the jetty. Later, we were greeted by white sand, turquoise blue water, and innocent wildlife all around us, paying no mind to the human stares and camera lenses. The experience on Punta Suarez is practically unreal, except it’s not. It is a real, fragile environment and fortunately, it is very protected. As we walked the narrow trails, we were careful of our footing around nesting sea birds and basking marine iguanas. You must experience the Galapagos personally because documentaries, videos, and photos cannot capture the emotion, smells, and sounds of being here.