Santa Cruz Island, 3/30/2023, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
We had an amazing day on Santa Cruz. We started by visiting the Charles Darwin Foundation, where we learned about conservation projects and the community’s efforts to preserve this unique place. Then, we headed to the highlands to visit a local farm. We learned about traditional processes to produce coffee and sugarcane.
Our second visit in the highlands was to the Manzanillo Ranch. Here we had lunch surrounded by one of the largest populations of giant tortoises on Santa Cruz.
Ixora was born in the Galapagos Islands, back when the streets were made of sand and gravel. Void of TV and tablets, her childhood friends and pristine natural surroundings made for an inspiring upbringing. She was always drawn to the ocean and her l...
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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!
It was a great day. Isabela is one of the jewels of the Galapagos. It has so many things to see and today was no exception. In the morning we landed at Urbina Bay where we had our first encounters with the giants of the Galapagos Islands, the giant tortoises. These incredible reptiles were walking on the very same path we were on, and we saw them up close. After our hike, we enjoyed some leisure time at the beach. In the afternoon, we went snorkeling and swam with Galapagos penguins and so many turtles. On our return, it was funny to find a Galapagos sea lion lying on one of our Zodiacs.
Today we woke up navigating in the western most area of the archipelago, searching for marine mammals. We spotted a few tropical whales in the distance and a pod of common dolphins feeding in the area. After breakfast we disembarked on Fernandina Island to observe one of the largest colonies of marine iguanas, along with sea lions, penguins, flightless cormorants, and boobies. We also observed impressive geological formations in the afternoon during our Zodiac ride. We got very close to the second species of Galapagos sea lions, known as Galapagos fur seals. It was a full day with many wonderful encounters.