Santa Cruz Island
Today I spent more than an hour at a lovely, hidden beach in a volcanic archipelago. We were just three people at the site; and it felt as if we were only three in the whole planet. It was so beautifully sunny that the sandy shallows shone in turquoise, contrasting with the darker blue of the farther shoreline made by lava and deeper water.
As I sat down to enjoy the surreal view, a marina iguana passed by, completely ignoring my presence, determined to get to the rocks for its healthy algae breakfast. Our guests swam in the warm pristine waters while a white-tipped shark passed by, completely ignoring them as well. Then it was a sea turtle, and many fish along the rocks, and only when we could take no more of this beauty we decided to come back home, to National Geographic Islander.
We met with the other groups that were returning from a walk at Cerro Dragon, where they had spotted several land iguanas, and with those who had been in very deep waters snorkeling with rays and sea lions. Together we enjoyed lunch and prepared for an afternoon dedicated to search for tortoises in the wild. And did we find tortoises? Indeed, lots of them, even mating in the bushes, feeding, resting, Tortoises from the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, one of the healthiest wild populations in the Galápagos Islands. We crossed a lava tunnel, we ate tropical fruits, we shared our laughs and exciting sightings; we had a gorgeous day!
