Early in the morning, we visited San Cristobal Island. It was a windy day, but disembarkation was easy at Punta Pitt, a nice greenish beach with particles of olivine that sparkled like little diamonds. What a fantastic landscape we had during the walk inside a volcano. Along the trail we founded blue-footed boobies, and eventually red-footed and Nazca boobies as well. Afterward, we had a nice breakfast followed by snorkeling on a beautiful morning. Next, we sailed south for two hours to get to Cerro Brujo, one of the most amazing beaches of Galapagos, with sand like soft flour that never gets hot. It is also home for many sea lions and birds. The end of the day also meant the end of this Galapagos escape as National Geographic Islander II circumnavigated Kicker’s Rock.
4/17/2025
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National Geographic Islander II
Plaza and Santa Fe Islands
The sunrise was spectacular today! It was a pleasant morning to explore the magical wildlife present on South Plaza Island, an uplifted area full of endemic species. As soon as we disembarked on a little pier, dozens of sea lions came to say welcome. Just a few yards inland, many land and marine iguanas shared the same ecosystem with seabirds, such as swallow-tailed gulls and pelicans. Along the cliff we saw frigates, boobies, shearwaters, tropic birds, and petrels gliding along. After breakfast, our guests enjoyed kayaking and swimming from National Geographic Islander II , while others took part in a stretching session with our wellness specialist on board. In the afternoon, we motored to Santa Fe Island to snorkel with sea lions. Our guests were astonished to encounter these creatures and so many multicolor fish so close that we felt part of their aquatic world. Later, we disembarked on a very small beach which is home to a colony of sea lions. Further inland we spotted some Santa Fe land iguanas resting at the foot of giant prickly pear cacti. It was an amazing day! Galapagos is a breathtaking place.
