Santiago Island, 9/26/2024, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today we are visiting Santiago Island, known to be the place where Charles Darwin spent the majority of his time in the Galápagos Islands in 1835 aboard the HMS Beagle collecting data. Also, this place was frequently visited by whalers as it was used as a base for whaling and taking advantage of its resources.
We spent an incredible morning kayaking and snorkeling in Buccaneer Cove. Later in the day, we moved to Puerto Egas where we enjoyed a shore walk with picturesque views of the Galapagos Islands and unique animals.
Charles was raised in the Galápagos Islands. He is the grandson of Rolf Wittmer, the first person documented to have been born on the island of Floreana after his parents, Margret and Heinz Wittmer, emigrated from Germany in 1932.
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We started early in the morning, in the western realm of Santiago Island to visit Caleta Bucanero where we had the chance go for a fabulous pre breakfast kayaking excursion along the coast. The day was perfect for water activities, so we went for a second round of kayaking and a glass bottom boat outing was also offered. Some of us went snorkeling with sharks, colorful fish, and playful sea lions. After lunch, we navigated towards Puerto Egas where we enjoyed the beach and went for a nature walk along the coast. Both options were fantastic. Santiago Island, which happens to be the last island visited by Charles Darwin on his famous Voyage of the Beagle, is very rich in human history and today’s visit was outstanding!
Today we are visiting the western region of the archipelago and our morning started with a spectacular circumnavigation to Roca Redonda, an amazing geological formation where we spotted humpback whales! Later in the morning, we enjoyed a Zodiac exploration of Punta Vicente Roca were lots of marine birds and sea lions exemplified the amazing wildlife of this location. Later, we snorkeled in these productive waters full of life, including see turtles. In the afternoon, we walked on a huge lava field of Fernandina Island. We found large numbers of marine iguanas, the only sea going lizard in the world. The sunset brought to a close another day in paradise.
Today, we visited two incredible islands in the Galapagos, North Seymour in the morning and Rábida in the afternoon. After breakfast, we disembarked on North Seymour where we saw several great and magnificent frigatebirds perched in trees and shrubs; most were juveniles waiting to be fed. Notably, the frigatebird has the longest parental dependency of any Galapagos seabird. The island’s flat, rocky terrain is home to Galapagos land iguanas and blue-footed boobies, and we observed many along the trail. In the afternoon, we sailed aboard National Geographic Islander II to Rábida Island. The island’s red hue, caused by iron oxidation, contrasted beautifully with the greenery and blue sky. We began with a snorkeling session, where our guests enjoyed the playful sea lions and colorful fish. After snorkeling, we returned to the ship for the next activities. Some guests chose kayaking, while others explored the island to spot flamingos nesting behind the beach. As the sun set, we returned to the ship with unforgettable memories of the day.
