Santa Cruz Island, 1/5/2023, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Santa Cruz Island is the best Island in Galapagos to explain and understand the iconic animals of the archipelago, the famous Galapagos giant tortoises.
This island has one of the most successful giant tortoise breeding programs in Galapagos. Not long ago, these animals were at risk of going extinct. At present, we have healthy population of giant tortoises in the wild, living on different islands in the archipelago.
This island is also the best place to see giant tortoises roaming wild, with some of these individuals having been born in the wild, so they are still living in their natural conditions. Thanks to these survivors, the breeding center is a success story that we are happy to share with our guests.
Walter was born in a very small town on the mainland of Ecuador. His first trip to the Galápagos was when he was 12 years old, visiting friends and aunt, who had moved to the islands. From the first moment he saw the Islands, he fell in love with the...
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This morning, we explored the northern side of Santa Cruz Island, and our first outing took us to see the Galapagos dragons. This land iguana inhabits the palo santo dry forest. As soon as we disembarked, marine iguanas greeted us as they sunbathed on the Sesuvium carpetweed found along the shoreline. We walked along the trail and found a brackish water lagoon that is usually visited by birds like white-cheeked pintail ducks, black-necked stilts, and sometimes flamingos. Later, we passed through the dry forest of palo santo and breathed in its fragrant aroma as we headed to observe the eroded volcanic ash on the trail. Land iguanas are endemic to this archipelago and can be found nesting in the area or just relaxing under a prickly pear cactus tree. We saw a spectacular number of iguanas, counting twenty during our walk. The bright colors of the iguanas make them a very exciting sight, which our guests enjoyed very much. Later in the afternoon, our younger explorers took Zodiac driving lessons in the company of their parents and a naturalist guide. It was the highlight of the day for them. The rest of our guests opted between getting some exercise while kayaking along the shoreline of Borrero Bay or simply took it slower and joined a Zodiac tour in the area. During the afternoon, we observed big flocks of blue-footed boobies, which are not often seen in high numbers. We also observed brown pelicans, striated herons, baby blacktip sharks, a small eagle ray, and lava gulls. We ended our day by enjoying a glass of wine while circumnavigating Daphne Major and observing the stunning sunset.
Today we woke up in Academy Bay, the main port of Santa Cruz Island. We came all the way to this island to see one of the most amazing creatures found in the Galapagos: giant tortoises. We also came to immerse ourselves in the culture of the Galapagos. After a delicious breakfast, we got ready for our adventure. First, we headed to the Charles Darwin Research Station to visit Fausto Llerena, the breeding center. We observed the saddleback morphotype and saw baby tortoises less than a year old. We learned so many interesting things about these wonderful creatures and about the efforts of the National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station to preserve the pristine Galapagos Islands. The Galápagos Islands became a National Park over sixty years ago. When this happened, people realized that the giant tortoise population was in critical danger with only around 10,000 remaining. After time spent on breeding and recovering the tortoises’ ecosystems in the wild, those numbers have almost tripled. Next, we headed to different destinations in the highlands, including a hydroponic farm and a sugarcane farm combined with a lava tunnel. At these sites, we were received in the homes of local families. We ended our visit with the best experience on the island, a visit to see our giants (the tortoises) in their natural environment. We went to Rancho El Manzanillo and enjoyed a great lunch where we were surrounded by the tortoises! When we came back on board, guests had the opportunity to meet local artisans, take in a cultural show, and enjoy a delicious dinner. Everyone was thrilled after a day full of cultural and environmental experiences. What a great day!
Our adventure on Floreana Island started early in the morning, at Punta Cormorant. We had a wet landing on a beach with “green sand” — its color is due to the presence of olivine crystals, volcanically derived silicates of magnesium and iron. The trail led us to a brackish lagoon, where we found Galapagos flamingos, giving us the perfect moment for pictures. Next we followed a trail surrounded mostly by palo santo trees; at this time of the year they are dry and leafless, but they are just waiting for the rainy season to blossom. At the end of the trail a white sandy beach was waiting for us. Later in the morning we snorkeled around Champion. It was an amazing experience to play with Galapagos sea lions while taking in the beautiful underwater landscape. We finished our visit to this island with the historical site of Post Office Bay. This is one of the islands’ most famous sites due to its frequent visitations by pirates and whalers during the 17th and 18th centuries. The crew of visiting ships would leave mail inside a barrel; in turn, they would pick up any mail that was destined for their own part of the world. Of course our guests left their own postcards there, hoping they will be delivered soon. We finished the day with kayaking at sunset — a beautiful end to a beautiful day.
