South Plaza and Santa Fe Islands, 7/11/2024, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today, we visited two small and fascinating islands: South Plaza Island, located near the northern part of Santa Cruz and Santa Fe Island to the east. These islands are inhabited by two different species of iguanas, the Galapagos land iguana and the Santa Fe land iguana. Additionally, each island grows a different species of prickly pear cacti, characterized by features specific to their individual habitats.
Aside from this, we observed several sea birds and a few colonies of the iconic Galapagos sea lion.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
Today’s expedition on Genovesa Island was an unforgettable adventure. After breakfast, we disembarked at Darwin Bay where we encountered countless red-footed boobies along the beach, which is the smallest of the three booby species in the Galápagos. As we continued, we spotted juvenile great frigatebirds perched on the bushes, their white and brown plumage beautifully contrasting with the lush greenery. To our surprise, we also came across a group of marine iguanas basking in the sun, warming themselves in this cool season. Genovesa’s marine iguana is the smallest of the species in the archipelago. Later in the morning, we enjoyed a snorkeling session where we encountered a variety of tropical fish and playful Galapagos fur sea lions. In the afternoon, we disembarked at El Barranco (or Prince Philip Steps). After a short walk inland, we were lucky to spot a Galápagos short-eared owl (an endemic subspecies to the islands) hunting for small birds, mainly Galápagos petrels. Just before sunset, we returned to National Geographic Islander II tired but elated after such a unique and memorable day in the Galápagos.
Today we started our expedition early in the morning as the sun rose. It was amazing to be in our kayaks with sea lions along the coast of Sombrero Chino, a Chinese hat-shaped, very small island with lava flows dating back to 19th century. As soon as we finished this activity, a delicious breakfast was waiting for us so we could replenish our energy to continue with our adventures. Snorkeling was especially amazing today as we swam with sea lions, sharks, and of course, the wonderful Galapagos penguin. In the afternoon, we sailed towards Sullivan Bay at Santiago Island, a stunning volcanic landscape with solidified lava formations. After a dry landing, we walked on this lava flow looking for unique volcanic formations and taking photos, ending a fantastic day in the Galapagos Islands.
The last day of our expedition brought us to the northern island of Genovesa. At Darwin Bay, we enjoyed observing a good number of juvenile red-footed boobies practicing their flying abilities. What a sight! Our kayaks were deployed for one last time, two rounds of kayaking were offered in the calm area of the sunken caldera. Snorkeling along the high cliffs of Genovesa was the complement to a great morning, where many colorful tropical fishes were seen. Genovesa Island holds the largest colony of red-footed boobies on Earth, among Nazca boobies, great frigatebirds, red-billed tropicbirds, and the short-eared owl, which has taken over the position of the top predator and now is hunting during daytime. A wonderful sunset ended a spectacular day in paradise!