Cerro Dragon & Sombrero Chino
Our expedition continued today on the northern side of Santa Cruz Island. We visited Cerro Dragon, Spanish for Dragon Hill. We hiked along a rocky trail typical to the Galápagos Islands. As we explored this fascinating area we discovered little by little the unusual flora and fauna found in this desert like location. Shortly afterwards we crossed a dry forest dominated by deciduous Palo Santo trees (Bursera graveolens) we encountered several large Galápagos land iguanas near the path. Since the mid-1970’s the Galápagos National Park in conjunction with the Charles Darwin Research Station has been working on the restoration of the endangered population of Galápagos land iguanas of these areas. Unfortunately, feral dogs were fiercely decimating the iguanas at a fast rate. We witnessed first hand the success and great progress of both the dog eradication program and the repatriation of land iguanas to this area. These titanic efforts are sincerely praiseworthy. Nowadays the Galápagos land iguanas of Cerro Dragon have a better ecosystem to carry on their lives. With excitement and admiration we observed several individuals along the trail. Cerro Dragon has one if the most breathtaking landscapes in the Galápagos archipelago. The artistic combination of colors textures and shapes makes you feel intimately in contact with nature. After the walk a refreshing dip in the water was almost mandatory. The many children we had onboard this week were a delight to observe. They jumped over and over with sincere happiness and excitement from the ship’s platform.
After lunch the National Geographic Polaris took us to Sombrero Chino and the Bainbridge Islets, located in the neighborhood of Santiago Island. A peculiar “Chinese hat-shaped” volcanic cone dominates the rough volcanic landscape of the surroundings. Several Zodiacs were deployed towards the different sites for the many activities planned for the afternoon. Everybody onboard practiced kayaking, snorkelling, Zodiac cruising and strolling on a paradisiacal little beach. During snorkelling myriads of colorful reef fish of all sizes were seen, marine iguanas feeding, and some guests had the thrill to swim with white-tipped reef sharks and Galápagos penguins! A magical day in one of the ultimate paradises on Earth finally came to an end leaving in our hearts and minds unforgettable and perennial memories.
Our expedition continued today on the northern side of Santa Cruz Island. We visited Cerro Dragon, Spanish for Dragon Hill. We hiked along a rocky trail typical to the Galápagos Islands. As we explored this fascinating area we discovered little by little the unusual flora and fauna found in this desert like location. Shortly afterwards we crossed a dry forest dominated by deciduous Palo Santo trees (Bursera graveolens) we encountered several large Galápagos land iguanas near the path. Since the mid-1970’s the Galápagos National Park in conjunction with the Charles Darwin Research Station has been working on the restoration of the endangered population of Galápagos land iguanas of these areas. Unfortunately, feral dogs were fiercely decimating the iguanas at a fast rate. We witnessed first hand the success and great progress of both the dog eradication program and the repatriation of land iguanas to this area. These titanic efforts are sincerely praiseworthy. Nowadays the Galápagos land iguanas of Cerro Dragon have a better ecosystem to carry on their lives. With excitement and admiration we observed several individuals along the trail. Cerro Dragon has one if the most breathtaking landscapes in the Galápagos archipelago. The artistic combination of colors textures and shapes makes you feel intimately in contact with nature. After the walk a refreshing dip in the water was almost mandatory. The many children we had onboard this week were a delight to observe. They jumped over and over with sincere happiness and excitement from the ship’s platform.
After lunch the National Geographic Polaris took us to Sombrero Chino and the Bainbridge Islets, located in the neighborhood of Santiago Island. A peculiar “Chinese hat-shaped” volcanic cone dominates the rough volcanic landscape of the surroundings. Several Zodiacs were deployed towards the different sites for the many activities planned for the afternoon. Everybody onboard practiced kayaking, snorkelling, Zodiac cruising and strolling on a paradisiacal little beach. During snorkelling myriads of colorful reef fish of all sizes were seen, marine iguanas feeding, and some guests had the thrill to swim with white-tipped reef sharks and Galápagos penguins! A magical day in one of the ultimate paradises on Earth finally came to an end leaving in our hearts and minds unforgettable and perennial memories.
