Cerro Dragon and Eden
Cerro Dragon and Eden are located along the northern shores of Santa Cruz Island. It is hard to believe that we are still in the same island! As sun rose, we could observe the outline of a typical arid zone, a sharp contrast to the moist, green and lush views of yesterday. Upon setting foot on Cerro Dragon, the landscape became an explosion of color: blue sea and sky, pale green and red salt-tolerant vegetation, and even pink, from a couple of flamingos that, to our delight, were feeding in the waters of the little lagoon behind the landing beach. As we continued along the rocky trail, we entered a little cactus and incense tree forest. The flora of this area has to survive long droughts, for which it has evolved the right mechanisms to cope with it, so many of the surrounding trees and bushes have dropped their leaves in order to save moisture this time of the year. The animals of the area also have had to adapt to this constant shortage of freshwater, amongst them the land iguanas. Cerro Dragon, or “Dragon Hill,” is the home to a small colony of this unique species, and great efforts have been made in order to ensure its survival. We were fortunate to see some of these iguanas close to the trail; the ground and the air above were hot, and the iguanas, just like us, were seeking the shade!
There is a little beach on Cerro Dragon, which was chosen by some of our guests to relax, swim, and cool down from the heat of today. Is it perhaps that the hot season is drawing near? Others opted for deep water snorkeling in nearby Guy Fawkes islets. The number of marine invertebrates here is amazing: Panamic sea stars, sponges, soft cup corals, sea anemones, various types of sea urchins. We also found large schools of fish of various sizes, while a few Galápagos sea lions kept a watch on us from the shores of the islet.
After a delicious typical Ecuadorian lunch, National Geographic Endeavour sailed for a short while, to drop anchor by the scenic coastline of Eden. The waters near its shore are quite shallow, with a sandy bottom, and juveniles of some marine species seek shelter here. Juvenile spotted eagle rays and black tipped reef sharks inhabit the area. Pacific green sea turtles also come here to rest from their long oceanic journeys; we observed several of them as they reached the surface of the water to catch a breath of air.
It was a thoroughly successful day. And while sailing towards our next destination, a magnificent sunset lighted up of the surrounding islands with yellow and pink colors… perfect excuse for a toast with everyone. Salud!
