Today was giant tortoise day! There is no better place to find giant tortoises in the wild than Santa Cruz highlands. Our day started early in the morning taking our Zodiacs and landing for first time in the northern part of Santa Cruz Island. Then we took buses and after a scenic drive or less than 30 minutes we arrived at our first stop: The Twins. These two craters are amazing geological formations where we also had the opportunity to observe different species of finches and plants that are unique the humid zone. Later, we drove to Rancho Manzanillo, where giant tortoises roam freely around this beautiful property. After the visit, we had lunch on the ranch, and later we took again our buses back down again to the coast where we boarded our Zodiacs to get back to the ship. After some down time, we took out our Zodiacs, this time to visit a beautiful beach: Las Bachas. This was the perfect way of ending an unforgettable day.
5/11/2025
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Española Island
We started our expedition by visiting one of the oldest islands of the archipelago and quite a fantastic one. We explored the beach in the morning and the inside of the island in the afternoon. Our first outing was a snorkel exploration of a small islet located on Gardner Bay, where we observed sharks, sea lions, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, and many colorful fish! The temperature of the water, great visibility, and an abundance of life made for an outstanding first deep-water snorkel. We also walked and swam on a beautiful white sand beach next to the big colony of sea lions that live here. In the afternoon, we hiked on Suárez Point. This is the only site in the archipelago where we can find the very famous waved albatross. We walked a rocky trail and spotted marine iguanas and lava lizards with nearly every step before reaching the nesting grounds of Nazca boobies and the albatrosses. These wonderful and magnificent marine birds nested and displayed for their mates. We observed the beauty of these animals as we enjoyed the sunset. It was a spectacular first full day.