Cerro Dragon & Eden Islet
As we started our early-morning walk around the brackish water lagoon, we were greatly surprised by six flamingoes, a Galápagos sub-specie that inhabit these kind of places. It was really wonderful to see them again; the lagoon had replenished the waters during the rainy season and it was teeming with life. The flamingos were surrounded by black-necked stilts, white-cheeked pintail ducks, plovers, whimbrels and more waders that were peacefully feeding in the early hours.
It was already hot and the site looked very dry, but when we least expected it, we saw a big colorful male land iguana coming out of its home; as we approached to watch, he ran inside again… what a neat encounter, the beautiful colors the iguana displayed were the mating colors. During this season males need to look their best in order to be seen by the females, who have the last word on choosing their mates. As we walked along the loop we counted five males, all wanting to be discovered by the opposite gender!
Some of us snorkeled at Guy Fawkes Islets while others enjoyed a Zodiac ride. The area was full of boobies, sea lions and sharks. The snorkelers enjoyed the company of several white-tipped reef sharks swimming below them, sea turtles feeding, eagle rays cruising by and all the magic colors of the tropical fish and invertebrates along the wall. Zodiac riders patrolled the nearby formations created by the ancient lava flow patterns.
In the afternoon we dropped anchor at El Eden, a small islet in the middle of the ocean hiding a golden beach, once an active caldera. Kayakers paddled along the shore while the rest of us preferred the Zodiac ride along the coast of Santa Cruz. In the water, the sea turtles showed their heads and white-tipped sharks swam along the shallows. The sky was getting cloudy, a signal that rain will soon be here.
Late afternoon, the National Geographic Endeavour headed to the Daphne Islets, the tuff formations known to researchers around the globe for the studies of finches. We circumnavigated these cones at sunset, enjoying a wonderful cocktail out on deck and celebrating once again the magic of this place.
