Española Island, 5/29/2023, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
To the southeast corner of the Galapagos lies Espanola, an island dating from 3.5 to 5 million years ago. It contains a high degree of endemism with a number of species of animals that only live here. The north has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with turquoise water and white sand where sea lion colonies hang out. The eastern part of the island has large colonies of nesting Nazca boobies, colorful marine iguanas, and majestic waved albatrosses, which only nest here. By far, one of the most fantastic opportunities to see wildlife in its purest state.
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North Seymour is a jewel of an Island located right in the center of the Galapagos. The northeast side faces a very deep underwater trench and to the southwest, the shallow waters of the central part of the archipelago. Its location allows the traveler to see birds and fish that come from both areas. The Zodiac exploration today was exceptional, with many coastal and deep-sea birds resting on the rocky shores and fish of all sizes making an appearance, including mating mobula rays. In the afternoon, Rabida, the red island, welcomed us for snorkeling, hiking, and kayaking. In the evening, stargazing was the cherry on top of an amazing cake. Photos by Fernando Ortiz and Adriana Aguirre
Our first whole day in the Galapagos was perfect, spending the day on the amazing Santa Cruz Island. We disembarked at the pier of Puerto Ayora and we boarded a bus. Suddenly we were surrounded by green, lush vegetation in the highlands of Santa Cruz until we reached El Trapiche, a famous traditional sugarcane and coffee farm. It was a wonderful experience to learn how, in a very primitive way, they produce sugar, coffee, and of course their specialty, moonshine. Our guests had fun tasting this product. We continued our activities by visiting a magnificent lava tunnel and even walked through it! At the end of the morning we reached Los Gemelos, two stunning volcanic sinkholes approximately 1 km in diameter formed by the collapse of volcanic gas chambers. The landscape was breathtaking thanks in part to the unique scalesia pedunculata forest, a kind of plant that only exists in this area. It was lunchtime, so we went to a wonderful farm where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and then explored, looking for the great Galapagos giant tortoises. We had the chance to observe this reptile basking in the grass while eating their favorite food. This experience was incredible and was an excellent opportunity for very special pictures.
Today we visited the island of San Cristobal. We started our day with a hike at Punta Pitt, where we walked uphill along a beautiful landscape made from tuff. Here we observed the last of the three species of boobies that can be found in the Galapagos, the red-footed booby. In the afternoon, after a delicious lunch, we visited Cerro Brujo, one of the most beautiful beaches in the archipelago. This beach was a great place to relax on the last full day of our trip. We were able to spend more time walking among sea lions and a few sea birds that were feeding along the shore. We ended our day navigating around Kicker Rock, a tuff cone in the middle of the ocean a few miles off the coast of San Cristobal. It was a great way to say farewell.
