Cerro Dragon & Sombrero Chino
Today we are still traveling around Santa Cruz, but this time on the north side of this beautiful large central island of the Galápagos. After traveling overnight we anchored off Cerro Dragon located on the leeward side of Santa Cruz. This island happens to be the second largest in the archipelago, and home to the largest human settlement in the province. Santa Cruz is also home to the two chief institutions that work for conservation in the Galápagos; the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galápagos National Park.
Our expedition took place at Cerro dragon where we had a long walk exploring the area in search of land iguanas, which are symbols of conservation here. Years ago the island was infested with introduced species such as donkeys, pigs, goats, cats and dogs, to mention a few. All of them were alien to these ecosystems, and competed over food and preyed on the endemic life forms. Nowadays most of these dangerous introduced animals have been removed from Cerro Dragon and the population of land iguanas is healthy and continues to grow.
The early walk we did today was just great, with a lot of opportunities for photography and new discoveries of scientific value. By late mid morning we headed to the next place we had on our agenda. It was the snorkelling site! It is said that at least fifty percent of the highlights of the Galápagos are located underwater and I believe it is a fact.
The water in this region is teeming with life of all kinds. The enormous assemblage of marine fauna is beyond imagination, and this place has species from several regions around the world such as the Panamic, Peruvian and indopacific regions. From the moment we were in the water we were surrounded by myriads of fish, some of them pelagic species and others bottom dwellers typical inhabitants of the reef such as damsel fish, parrot fish, Mexican hogfish to mention a few. But my real highlight was actually the ever inquisitive and charming sea lions and a manta ray.
In the afternoon we headed towards Sombrero chino where we spent the evening, some of us went kayaking along the shore of Santiago Island admiring the beauty of the recent lava flow and the penguin’s colony.
There were many amazing things to see and photograph. Besides the penguins on the rocks we had close encounters with some of them in the water among other marine life – including a shark!
I can’t wait to see more!
Today we are still traveling around Santa Cruz, but this time on the north side of this beautiful large central island of the Galápagos. After traveling overnight we anchored off Cerro Dragon located on the leeward side of Santa Cruz. This island happens to be the second largest in the archipelago, and home to the largest human settlement in the province. Santa Cruz is also home to the two chief institutions that work for conservation in the Galápagos; the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galápagos National Park.
Our expedition took place at Cerro dragon where we had a long walk exploring the area in search of land iguanas, which are symbols of conservation here. Years ago the island was infested with introduced species such as donkeys, pigs, goats, cats and dogs, to mention a few. All of them were alien to these ecosystems, and competed over food and preyed on the endemic life forms. Nowadays most of these dangerous introduced animals have been removed from Cerro Dragon and the population of land iguanas is healthy and continues to grow.
The early walk we did today was just great, with a lot of opportunities for photography and new discoveries of scientific value. By late mid morning we headed to the next place we had on our agenda. It was the snorkelling site! It is said that at least fifty percent of the highlights of the Galápagos are located underwater and I believe it is a fact.
The water in this region is teeming with life of all kinds. The enormous assemblage of marine fauna is beyond imagination, and this place has species from several regions around the world such as the Panamic, Peruvian and indopacific regions. From the moment we were in the water we were surrounded by myriads of fish, some of them pelagic species and others bottom dwellers typical inhabitants of the reef such as damsel fish, parrot fish, Mexican hogfish to mention a few. But my real highlight was actually the ever inquisitive and charming sea lions and a manta ray.
In the afternoon we headed towards Sombrero chino where we spent the evening, some of us went kayaking along the shore of Santiago Island admiring the beauty of the recent lava flow and the penguin’s colony.
There were many amazing things to see and photograph. Besides the penguins on the rocks we had close encounters with some of them in the water among other marine life – including a shark!
I can’t wait to see more!
