The Galapagos Islands are a sanctuary of wildlife, and today we enjoyed more of the wonders that this paradise could hide as visited the northern side of Santa Cruz Island. Cerro dragon was the best way to begin our exploration, and after a comfortable dry landing we were ready to get into nature in order to find the dragons of the Galapagos: land iguanas. Since the very beginning nature showed us it’s marvels as sally lightfoot crabs were found all over the rocks. Once we reached the sandy area, ghost crabs decorated the beautiful white sand beach making a perfect contrast for a colorful view.
Farther into the trail, a brackish water lagoon was the perfect bird paradise as greater flamingos and white-cheeked pintail ducks were feeding on crustaceans. As soon as we came into the incense tree forest, it was time to look for the main attraction of the morning - Galapagos land iguanas. The first individual was found inside the vegetation feeding on prickly pear cactus fruits.
Once at the summit of Cerro Dragon, an awe inspiring image of the islands was displayed on a marvelous landscape that we enjoyed for a few minutes before coming back on board the National Geographic Endeavour. The next adventure of the day was going to be one of the most spectacular activities of the day, deep water snorkeling. The magnificence of the Galapagos marine reserve was displayed as we came into the water.
A fantastic symphony of colors was found all over the rocks, and enormous amounts of fish were surrounding us all the time. The big surprise of the morning was the presence of sea birds that decorated the surface of the ocean when we were heading back to the National Geographic Endeavour.
In the afternoon the exploration continued to El Eden Island. In order to enjoy all the wonders of nature, we had a comfortable Zodiac ride along the coast line. When we reached the mangrove area, a spectacular variety of animals were found as we got closer to the trees. Baby black-tipped reef sharks, spotted eagle rays, and striated herons were part of the display that nature gave us at that moment. At the end of this fantastic journey, we appreciated a wonderful sunset as circumnavigated to Daphne Mayor for an amazing bird spectacle. Today we had just the fantastic trip at the Galapagos, and it is going to be part of our memories for a life time.
