Santa Cruz, 3/10/2025, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
With a very relaxing morning in the highlands of Santa Cruz, my hometown, our day began. We had a nice time at the sugarcane farm and saw a large number of giant tortoises with a backdrop of amazing views.
Later, on board National Geographic Islander II, we enjoyed a show with local artisans and musicians.
Bernardo, known by his friends and family as Bernie, was born In the Andean city of Quito, located in the highlands of Ecuador. His grandfather, however, moved to the Galapagos Islands in the mid-70s, and worked as one of the first Naturalist Guides,...
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Our day began with a pleasant morning hike at Punta Pitt, located on the northern side of San Cristobal Island. The walk involved an uphill climb from the beach to the peak of a tuff cone. At the summit, we were rewarded with sightings of numerous blue-footed boobies nesting and a significant number of red-footed boobies, including some with chicks. Returning to the beach, we enjoyed a refreshing snorkeling session directly from the shore. In the afternoon, we concluded our wonderful week aboard with a relaxing visit to Cerro Brujo Beach.
With a very relaxing morning at Gardner Bay, our day began. Nice, sunny beach time with amazing views beside a massive colony of sea lions was a treat to start the day. We also had a wonderful opportunity to explore Gardner Islet underwater. Later at Punta Suarez, we went for a great hike with a bunch of marine birds, including waved albatrosses and a colony of the incredible Nazca boobies. We also enjoyed the unique landscape of the eroded, mature island of Española with its pronounced cliffs and crashing waves. Sally Lightfoot crabs were the cherry on top.
Today we went to Floreana Island, starting with a visit to the very famous Post Office Bay. Here we had the chance to deliver postcards through one of the oldest mailing systems in the Americas. Later on, we rode our Zodiacs to explore the small islet of Champion, where marine birds and sea lions display on the shore. We also snorkeled in this same area, and had close encounters with the playful sea lions. In the afternoon we hiked at Cormorant Point, an old tuff cone with a greenish sandy beach at its base surrounded by black mangroves. We explored the area looking for wildlife and enjoyed the presence and color of the greater American flamingos. On the other side of this visitor site there is a beautiful white sand beach, which is also a sea turtle nesting site. We enjoyed the last rays of today’s sun at this magical location.
