Today we visited Santa Cruz Island. We spent the day exploring and searching for giant tortoises. In the early morning, we visited the giant tortoise rearing center. We saw the baby giants and learned about the conservation efforts in the archipelago by the Galapagos National Park and The Charles Darwin Foundation. We walked to the fish market in Puerto Ayora and were able to explore part of the town; afterwards, we went to the highlands to experience the process of making sugar and moonshine from sugarcane on a local family’s farm. The last part of our day was walking amongst the giants in their natural habitat. It was definitely an outstanding day.
5/6/2025
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Isabela Island
Navigation brought us to the largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago, Isabela. Holding half of all land mass in the Galapagos, it has a diverse selection of ecosystems that we were able to visit. Urvina Bay was geologically uplifted in the 1950’s, taking two square kilometers of seafloor that was thrust upward, in certain areas up to four meters out of the water. Intertidal species were stranded inland, and we walked upon this area. Galapagos giant tortoises and land iguanas were found on our trail, and we were surrounded by Darwin finches and Galapagos mockingbirds. The afternoon brought us to Tagus Cove where we explored the surrounding waters, encountering Galapagos penguins and Pacific green sea turtles swimming among the kayakers and snorkelers. As the sun dipped below the horizon, adventurous hikers took a fast-paced hike to enjoy an incredible view of Darwin Lake and the immense island of Isabela.
