Santiago Island
Today we explored the island of Santiago in the central realm of Galapagos. This island was once a restocking spot for pirates and privateers. We went to a place called Espumilla (foamy) beach before breakfast for an energizing fast walk. As the sea currents are currently changing we had some swells at the landing spot. We made it and it was worth it; we saw the tallest Palo Santo trees and walked through a mangrove forest that just by itself makes the whole walk an incredible one.
After this walk and once everyone returned aboard we headed to our next stop for the morning; the place is called Buccaneer’s Cove and was the location to go snorkeling, kayaking and also have glass bottom boat outings. We spotted a great variety and number of schools of fish and different types of marine invertebrates.
This afternoon we disembarked on the western corner of Santiago Island which is known as Puerto Egas; here we found an abandoned salt mine company that operated in the 1960s. After a few years of operation it was closed and nowadays all one finds of the small village are a couple of water tanks and a house.
Along the trail of Puerto Egas we observed Galapagos marine iguanas, shore birds, and also some Galapagos fur seals resting on the lava. Besides wildlife, one of the most attractive aspects of this walk is the astounding landscape that surrounded us.
We had a great colorful sunset to end our day on Santiago Island.
