Cerro Dragon & Sombrero Chino
Last evening we had a golden finale for our visit to Santa Cruz Island. A colourful and vibrant local band of musicians and dancers came onboard; we were recharged with their energy. Today early in the morning, at around 5:30 am the National Geographic Polaris headed to the northwestern side of Santa Cruz. After a couple of hours of smooth navigation we anchored in a placid bay with Cerro Dragon in the background. Cerro Dragon, Spanish for “Dragon Hill”, is an excellent location to observe Galápagos land iguanas. These majestic reptiles have the prehistoric appearance of miniature dragons. We saw several individuals on the trail and resting under vegetation. After the walk we came back onboard, several options were offered to cool off. Some guests took an adventurous deep-water Zodiac trip to the challenging snorkel site of Guy Fawkes Islets. Many guests opted to swim from the ship and practiced water aerobics with our Wellness Specialist Patty Cueva. The latter activity was of great success today.
In the afternoon we sailed to a different location, Sombrero Chino. This volcanic cone has a very peculiar shape; it resembles a “Chinese Hat”. This young volcanic cone is covered with rusty lava fields that dramatically contrast with the white sand and turquoise waters of the surroundings. The whole panorama around Chinese Hat is beautifully completed with a small Galápagos penguin colonies that live there. Several guests had the thrill to swim and snorkel with penguins and with sharks! Kayaking, Zodiac cruises and time to relax on the beach were popular activities as well. Late in the afternoon we all came back on board with our hearts and minds filled with the magic of the Galápagos Islands. A magic that makes us dream about special this place is.
Last evening we had a golden finale for our visit to Santa Cruz Island. A colourful and vibrant local band of musicians and dancers came onboard; we were recharged with their energy. Today early in the morning, at around 5:30 am the National Geographic Polaris headed to the northwestern side of Santa Cruz. After a couple of hours of smooth navigation we anchored in a placid bay with Cerro Dragon in the background. Cerro Dragon, Spanish for “Dragon Hill”, is an excellent location to observe Galápagos land iguanas. These majestic reptiles have the prehistoric appearance of miniature dragons. We saw several individuals on the trail and resting under vegetation. After the walk we came back onboard, several options were offered to cool off. Some guests took an adventurous deep-water Zodiac trip to the challenging snorkel site of Guy Fawkes Islets. Many guests opted to swim from the ship and practiced water aerobics with our Wellness Specialist Patty Cueva. The latter activity was of great success today.
In the afternoon we sailed to a different location, Sombrero Chino. This volcanic cone has a very peculiar shape; it resembles a “Chinese Hat”. This young volcanic cone is covered with rusty lava fields that dramatically contrast with the white sand and turquoise waters of the surroundings. The whole panorama around Chinese Hat is beautifully completed with a small Galápagos penguin colonies that live there. Several guests had the thrill to swim and snorkel with penguins and with sharks! Kayaking, Zodiac cruises and time to relax on the beach were popular activities as well. Late in the afternoon we all came back on board with our hearts and minds filled with the magic of the Galápagos Islands. A magic that makes us dream about special this place is.
