Santiago Island
This Island has been involved in many different projects for over a decade. In 2001 the whole island was declare free of pigs and in 2005, free of goats; these two domestic animals were introduced by accident to the archipelago. They were causing negative impacts to the flora and fauna of Santiago Island. The Galápagos National Park had to make the right decision before it was too late. It took a lot of effort and time to successfully complete these two major eradication programs. And this morning, as we disembarked at Espumilla Beach to witness these amazing successes, we can proudly say that Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic have been supporting it from beginning to end.
This morning we disembarked for a hike and witnessed how the native and endemic flora and fauna are coming back all over Santiago Island. Many species that were once threatened are now taking full advantage, and the whole ecosystem has recovered amazingly. Our beaches are covered with turtle eggs and this time of the year they are hatching. The vegetation has recovered and hopefully Santiago tortoises will recover as well. This hike was the perfect way to understand how important it is to continue working on different projects.
Snorkeling at Santiago Island is great because just a few miles apart you can have very different experiences. This was proved true today, because the morning snorkeling was amazing for fish identification and the afternoon snorkel was good for seeing Pacific green sea turtles, rays, sharks and playful Galápagos sea lions.
The hike in the afternoon is one of the best for coastal area exploration and seeing migratory shore birds, the two species of endemic Galápagos sea lions, marine iguanas, boobies and pelicans – and the geology was just breathtaking.
This was another extraordinary day in paradise aboard the National Geography Endeavour.
