Dragon Hill & Chinese Hat
Early this morning we arrived at the northwestern realm of Santa Cruz Island, one of the most interesting places in Galápagos. Here, an ambitious conservation program takes place. This program was carried out to reintroduce the Galápagos land iguanas, seriously affected by feral dogs. Part of the program was to remove some iguanas and prepare a new home for them in the nearby Venice Islet. Another important part of the program was to permanently remove the main threat to the land iguanas well being: feral dogs. A very important step in the program, the repatriation, consisted of releasing juvenile land iguanas to their home once there were no more threats. In the last years we have witnessed an important recovery of the land iguanas’ population, we have seen more young adults in the area. After exploring Dragon Hill we returned to the National Geographic Polaris. We began with our water activities, we went swimming, snorkeling, and a great session of water aerobics.
At lunch time we left Dragon Hill behind and navigated to Chinese Hat Islet where we went swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and also explored the untamed coast of Santiago Island. We were accompanied by Galápagos penguins and lots of fish during all of our activities. It is amazing to be able to swim with these rare penguins or to observe them in their homes in lava flows surrounded by cacti. This is certainly one of the most unusual experiences visitors can have, but that is why the Galápagos is so special. The unusual wildlife and their incredible adaptations to inhabit such a wild and pristine environment make this archipelago a paradise for ecology and evolution.
Early this morning we arrived at the northwestern realm of Santa Cruz Island, one of the most interesting places in Galápagos. Here, an ambitious conservation program takes place. This program was carried out to reintroduce the Galápagos land iguanas, seriously affected by feral dogs. Part of the program was to remove some iguanas and prepare a new home for them in the nearby Venice Islet. Another important part of the program was to permanently remove the main threat to the land iguanas well being: feral dogs. A very important step in the program, the repatriation, consisted of releasing juvenile land iguanas to their home once there were no more threats. In the last years we have witnessed an important recovery of the land iguanas’ population, we have seen more young adults in the area. After exploring Dragon Hill we returned to the National Geographic Polaris. We began with our water activities, we went swimming, snorkeling, and a great session of water aerobics.
At lunch time we left Dragon Hill behind and navigated to Chinese Hat Islet where we went swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and also explored the untamed coast of Santiago Island. We were accompanied by Galápagos penguins and lots of fish during all of our activities. It is amazing to be able to swim with these rare penguins or to observe them in their homes in lava flows surrounded by cacti. This is certainly one of the most unusual experiences visitors can have, but that is why the Galápagos is so special. The unusual wildlife and their incredible adaptations to inhabit such a wild and pristine environment make this archipelago a paradise for ecology and evolution.
