Cerro Dragon & Sombrero Chino
We started our day with a hearty breakfast at 7:00 am. By 8:00 am we disembarked for our first site of the day, Cerro Dragon, located on the northern part of Santa Cruz Island.
We had a dry landing on a natural jetty. As we walked inland we were able to see how the young Prickly Pear Cacti (Opuntia) are covered with spines to protect themselves from their predators, iguanas and tortoises. Some White-Cheeked Pintail Ducks and Black-necked Stilts were seen close to shore at a small brackish lagoon. While the rocky trail got a little bit easier for walking, we could see a few flowers from Galápagos cotton, bare Palo Santo trees and “Muyuyo” (Cordia lutea). The latter has bright yellow flowers and white berry that can be used as glue. Once we reached the inner part of the trail we found beautiful Galápagos land iguanas. In these reptile species, the males are orange and yellow, while the females are smaller and brownish looking.
After the walk we were all eager to get back on board to go snorkeling or swimming. Some of us went on a great snorkeling trip along Guy Fawkes where we saw great schools of small brown striped Salemas, Parrot fish, Black coral, Yellow tailed razor fish and many invertebrates along the cliff side. Some other guests opted to swim from the platform of the ship or to practice water stretching activities.
After a great lunch that included a wonderful ice cream dessert and a well deserved nap, some of us went for a kayak ride along the coast of Sombrero Chino Islet, others went snorkeling, and some went to stretch and rest at a nearby small white beach. All of us, whether kayaking, snorkeling or taking a Zodiac cruise along the coast of Santiago got to see a large group of Galápagos Penguins. These endemic marine birds were seen resting on the rocks. Without any doubt, Sombrero Chino reminded us about how fascinating the geology of the Galápagos Islands is. The black lava fields off the coast of Santiago Island, seen from Sombrero Chino, gave us the opportunity to see how barren the islands must have been when they were just formed. After a beautiful day we had a great barbeque at one of the outer decks, and everyone had the pleasure of attending a talent show that was organized afterwards.
We started our day with a hearty breakfast at 7:00 am. By 8:00 am we disembarked for our first site of the day, Cerro Dragon, located on the northern part of Santa Cruz Island.
We had a dry landing on a natural jetty. As we walked inland we were able to see how the young Prickly Pear Cacti (Opuntia) are covered with spines to protect themselves from their predators, iguanas and tortoises. Some White-Cheeked Pintail Ducks and Black-necked Stilts were seen close to shore at a small brackish lagoon. While the rocky trail got a little bit easier for walking, we could see a few flowers from Galápagos cotton, bare Palo Santo trees and “Muyuyo” (Cordia lutea). The latter has bright yellow flowers and white berry that can be used as glue. Once we reached the inner part of the trail we found beautiful Galápagos land iguanas. In these reptile species, the males are orange and yellow, while the females are smaller and brownish looking.
After the walk we were all eager to get back on board to go snorkeling or swimming. Some of us went on a great snorkeling trip along Guy Fawkes where we saw great schools of small brown striped Salemas, Parrot fish, Black coral, Yellow tailed razor fish and many invertebrates along the cliff side. Some other guests opted to swim from the platform of the ship or to practice water stretching activities.
After a great lunch that included a wonderful ice cream dessert and a well deserved nap, some of us went for a kayak ride along the coast of Sombrero Chino Islet, others went snorkeling, and some went to stretch and rest at a nearby small white beach. All of us, whether kayaking, snorkeling or taking a Zodiac cruise along the coast of Santiago got to see a large group of Galápagos Penguins. These endemic marine birds were seen resting on the rocks. Without any doubt, Sombrero Chino reminded us about how fascinating the geology of the Galápagos Islands is. The black lava fields off the coast of Santiago Island, seen from Sombrero Chino, gave us the opportunity to see how barren the islands must have been when they were just formed. After a beautiful day we had a great barbeque at one of the outer decks, and everyone had the pleasure of attending a talent show that was organized afterwards.
