Santiago Island
This island has a long history of visitors, including a lot of pirates, but probably its most famous visitor was Charles Darwin who stayed here camping and sampling the different species of plants and animals for 9 days. Today we began with a walk before breakfast, and as soon as we arrived to Espumilla Beach we were received by ghost crabs that had already began their daily activities, moving around the sand and hiding in their little holes. During the walk we observed a lot of lava lizards and land birds such as finches, mockingbirds and a lonely hawk that flew by. From the top of the hill we climbed we could see a breathtaking view, a small lagoon and part of Isabela Island in the background. A light mist at the end of the walk helped as it never got too hot during the walk.
The snorkeling in Buccaneer Cove provided another chance to see sea lions swimming around us. We also saw numerous colorful fish and a shark along the bottom that promptly left, probably scared from observing these odd creatures with multi-colored masks and fins on the surface.
The afternoon visit to Puerto Egas began with a wet landing. We were met on the beach by more ghost crabs, but before arriving to the island we were able to appreciate the unique patterns erosion has produced in the tuff ash formations, with small cave-like formations near the ocean, some of which are decorated with marine iguanas scattered here and there.
On our way to look for fur seal at the grottos we were lucky to see a young penguin lying on a rock, it probably enjoyed the view and landscape as much as we did. During the walk along the seashore many sea lion pups were nursing or simply resting in some shade. Two young pups we particularly involved in playing in a tide pool, it felt as if life for these creatures was only playing and having fun. An occasional yellow warbler hopped along the rocks catching small insects, and the always present marine iguanas were motionless except for occasionally sneezing salt from their nostrils. As the day ended we returned to our landing beach Puerto Egas, and along its shoreline some Sally Lightfoot crabs as they picked up small microorganisms to survive another day.
