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.
3/27/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Santiago Island
We are having fun exploring the Galapagos Islands. Today we arrived at the center of the archipelago to explore two magical visitor sites, Buccaneer Cove and Puerto Egas. Early in the morning we explored the shoreline in our Zodiacs and we saw many marine turtles mating and blue-footed boobies diving or resting on the rocks. We also saw frigates, pelicans, terns, and more. After breakfast some of our guests went kayaking for a closer encounter with nature. The snorkeling was also spectacular. We saw three different types of sharks, including a hammerhead. We found a school of eagle rays, a wide variety of multicolor reef fish, and a zebra moray. In the afternoon we explored the coastal line of Puerto Egas. This destination is full of wildlife and along our walk we saw red neck lava lizards, finches, land iguanas, mockingbirds, and hawks. At the intertidal zone we found sea lions, and many migratory birds such as plovers, whimbrels, and ruddy turnstones. We had an amazing day!