Today was the first full day of our expedition. We visited Santa Cruz Island, where many activities awaited us. We visited the highlands to learn about the first settlers of the archipelago and their lifestyle. We drove to explore the primary forest of Santa Cruz and observed different species of land birds living in the area. We walked amongst giant tortoises along their migration route. To finish our eventful day, we visited the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center.
3/18/2025
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National Geographic Islander II
San Cristobal Island
Today our guests had the opportunity to visit San Cristóbal Island, one of the oldest islands at about 4 million years old. We visited Punta Pitt very early in the morning where we disembarked on its incredible green-sand beach. Soon after, we hiked along a tuff cone volcano’s trail where our guests saw the three species of boobies that inhabit the Galapagos. The highlight was the red-footed boobies that we saw for the first time. After the hike, our guests had time to relax and snorkel from the beach. In the afternoon, our guests enjoyed beautiful Cerro Brujo Beach, considered one of the top 10 best beaches in the world to visit. Cerro Brujo, with its turquoise waters, allowed us to relax and enjoy the ocean and the unique wildlife. And finally, to end this incredible day, we sailed around Kicker Rock where our guests said goodbye to this beautiful island on the southeast side of the archipelago.
