We arrived today to the Northwest corner of Santa Cruz, far from the inhabited side of the island, and near a remarkable variety of flora and fauna. After a dry landing on rocky terrain we found an exquisite white sandy beach, circled by black basaltic lava, and bright colors from the greens and reds of the surrounding plants. The area was also inhabited by animals like seabirds, marine iguanas, lava lizards, shore birds, among others, including many fish trapped in low tide pools. Beyond the beach, we encountered a brackish water lagoon in which a number of migratory birds find a warm welcome to the Southern Hemisphere. Sometimes this lagoon hosts flamingos, which seek a microscopic shrimp called Artemia salina, with in turn gives them their remarkable pink color on their feathers. Today we found all the other birds; ducks, stilts and other waders, and shore birds.

A very red trail, oxidized due to presence of iron on the rocks, took us through a Palo Santo forest, leafless at this time of the year due to the lack of rain, which look dead. Eventually, we reached Dragon Hill, where land iguanas can be found at any time of the year. Large, mostly yellow iguanas are the highlight of the excursion here. We found more than we bargained for.

After returning to the ship, we got ready for a new adventure: this time snorkeling along the walls of a small island called Guy Fawkes. Here we found different types of fish, sea lions, sharks, and the eventual ray and turtle. After lunch, our afternoon took us to a different island called “El Eden” where every trial of colonization ended in horrible death, over and over. We had fun going on a Zodiac ride along the coast, looking for animals like seabirds, or marine life in the mangroves, like turtles and baby sharks, rays and sea lions…

To conclude this lovely day we navigate around the island of Daphne Major, where scientists found the perfect scenario for studies on Darwin finches over decades, and where we can very rarely see the actual scientists at that time of the evening, in pajamas walking around the site.

We enjoyed a beautiful sunset behind the island, with some birds and colorful waves, ending another fantastic day in paradise…