Today we continued our expedition by exploring northern Santa Cruz Island. Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the archipelago and the north has one of the largest mangrove forests, which means it’s home to many species. We started our day with a wonderful hike at Dragon Hill where we spotted the magnificent land iguana. In the afternoon we had many excursions from which to choose, including kayaking, paddle boarding, or Zodiac riding. Our guests were thrilled to see baby sharks (black tips and a hammerhead) and lots of sea turtles and sea birds. We had a stunning day filled with beautiful colors and lots of wildlife.
10/4/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Genovesa Island
With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the front balcony of the lounge to see what was going on. We had just entered Darwin’s Bay, dropped anchor, and the juvenile red-footed boobies had found the ship and were flying around us on an inspection tour. The rest of the day continued with discoveries of all kinds. An early morning inversion layer (locally known as “garúa”) had fallen and dampened the environment with much desired drops of fresh water, although the chicks of various species didn’t appear terribly pleased in having wet feathers. On our return, the same bedraggled individuals looked smooth, sleek and dry once the sun had come out. The Galapagos National Park has only two sites for visitors, both spectacular, both well worth a slow walk among the palo santo trees to see the great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, Darwin’s finches, short-eared owls, and storm petrels. Snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the base of the cliffs of Darwin’s Bay followed. There’s nothing quite like this island anywhere in the world.