Cerro Dragon & Sombrero Chino (Chinese Hat)
The beginning of a new adventure! Like no other, the day started with this beautiful green landscape on the northwest side of Santa Cruz Island. No matter what the time or even the season, here at Dragon Hill the land iguanas are everywhere, showing us full yellowish golden colors (some of them more or less because of what they eat).
We disembarked early in the morning, and our first guest led us along a rocky and muddy trail where the incense tree’s unusual aspect contrasted with what we know as simply “gray”. But ambient temperature cooperated with our highlight sightings of “land iguanas”. It was an amazing morning, including once again greater flamingos and a new species for our list, black necked stilts with chicks!
The deep-water snorkeling was one more of the good entertaining activities that many of our guests enjoyed after a long hike. Guy Fawkes Islet presented them with tremendously deep waters and a spectacular wall of marine invertebrates. For some guests, jumping off the Naitonal Geographic Polaris was the preferred action to get refreshed after a hot walk on land.
In the afternoon just before dropping the anchor, the ship slid by close to one of the Bainbridge Islets, an old volcano that exposed a large colony of flamingos (43 +/- individuals) living in the salt-water lagoon inside; proof that even small places provide good shelter when needed.
When we anchored at Sombrero Chino (Chinese Hat, translated from Spanish) the warm water temperature of 81.5 Fahrenheit called us to go snorkeling. Penguins, sea lions, sharks and many animals were found. Others went kayaking, the change of landscape was dramatic. It is hard to believe that just a few miles to the southeast on Santa Cruz Island the geology is so different.
The beginning of a new adventure! Like no other, the day started with this beautiful green landscape on the northwest side of Santa Cruz Island. No matter what the time or even the season, here at Dragon Hill the land iguanas are everywhere, showing us full yellowish golden colors (some of them more or less because of what they eat).
We disembarked early in the morning, and our first guest led us along a rocky and muddy trail where the incense tree’s unusual aspect contrasted with what we know as simply “gray”. But ambient temperature cooperated with our highlight sightings of “land iguanas”. It was an amazing morning, including once again greater flamingos and a new species for our list, black necked stilts with chicks!
The deep-water snorkeling was one more of the good entertaining activities that many of our guests enjoyed after a long hike. Guy Fawkes Islet presented them with tremendously deep waters and a spectacular wall of marine invertebrates. For some guests, jumping off the Naitonal Geographic Polaris was the preferred action to get refreshed after a hot walk on land.
In the afternoon just before dropping the anchor, the ship slid by close to one of the Bainbridge Islets, an old volcano that exposed a large colony of flamingos (43 +/- individuals) living in the salt-water lagoon inside; proof that even small places provide good shelter when needed.
When we anchored at Sombrero Chino (Chinese Hat, translated from Spanish) the warm water temperature of 81.5 Fahrenheit called us to go snorkeling. Penguins, sea lions, sharks and many animals were found. Others went kayaking, the change of landscape was dramatic. It is hard to believe that just a few miles to the southeast on Santa Cruz Island the geology is so different.
