Today we arrived at Santiago Island in the central realm of the Galapagos. Our day began with a pre-breakfast outing to explore the shoreline of Espumilla Beach, located on the western side of Santiago Island.
We found several nests of East Pacific sea turtles on the beach. From our Zodiacs and from the shoreline, we observed several males and females swimming around the island. We saw blue-footed boobies, pelicans, terns, and shearwaters fishing along the coast.
After a great morning walk, we returned aboard to have breakfast while National Geographic Islander repositioned to Buccaneer’s Cove. In the past, pirates, privateers, buccaneers and whalers visited the Galapagos. This cove is named for the visits of some of those buccaneers.
After breakfast, we enjoyed kayaking, Zodiac rides, snorkeling in deep waters, and paddle-boarding activities led by our natural history staff. Guests observed sharks, turtles, and large schools of fish, such as pelican barracudas, razor-tailed surgeonfish, and various parrotfish species.
Later, we went ashore for a last walk on Santiago Island. We observed Galapagos land iguanas, marine iguanas, Galapagos sea lions, frigates, and several shorebirds along the coast.
Our hotel department organized a wine tasting to end our day on Santiago while we watched the sunset.
Photo caption: Blue-footed booby plunge-diving with National Geographic Islander in the back. Photo by Patricio Maldonado
