San Cristobal Island, 1/24/2023, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
San Cristobal has its own giant tortoise population, as well as endemic lava lizards and snakes. These are examples of adaptive radiation in the archipelago.
We have had a successful week full of great memories. The unique and friendly animals found in this group of islands are not found anywhere else on our planet.
Walter was born in a very small town on the mainland of Ecuador. His first trip to the Galápagos was when he was 12 years old, visiting friends and aunt, who had moved to the islands. From the first moment he saw the Islands, he fell in love with the...
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Today is our last full day in the Galapagos Islands. We started our morning with a wet landing at a soft sandy green beach full of sea lions. We walked almost two miles in search of red-footed boobies, lava lizards, and mockingbirds. Soon after we returned from our walk, we began our water activities, including snorkeling and swimming. While back onboard for a delicious typical Ecuadorian lunch, we reposition to our next destination. Cerro Brujo has a beautiful one-mile-long white sandy beach where we enjoyed our final opportunity to watch the Galapagos sea lions as the sun set. Some guests opted for kayaking for an unbelievable adventure. We are back onboard navigating towards the airport. As we pass by Leon Dormido, a scenic tuff rock, we say our goodbyes to the Galapagos. Thank you for coming to the Galapagos, and we hope to see you again soon.
Española Island formed 3-5 million years ago through volcanic activity. Over time, it has become home to unique wildlife, including the Galapagos sea lions and waved albatross. The island’s unique ecology and isolated location allowed these species to evolve distinct characteristics.
We awoke to the view of a calm Post Office Bay where whalers and seafarers left their correspondence behind at the oldest mailing system in the Americas, established in 1792. After visiting Post Office Bay, we had breakfast and got ready to explore the underwater world of the Galapagos by going on a deep-water snorkeling outing around Champion Islet (a satellite islet of Floreana). We saw plenty of playful Galapagos sea lion pups while snorkeling, as well as some whitetip reef sharks swimming along the coast and large species of fish. Some of us opted to go on a glass bottom Zodiac outing instead of snorkeling, and we all had a great time. After lunch, National Geographic Islander II repositioned to another visitor site, Floreana, this time anchoring right off the coast of Cormorant Point. We had a wet landing and went off to explore this location where we encountered American flamingos at a brackish coastal water lagoon. We also explored a beautiful white sandy beach which is a large nesting ground for Pacific green sea turtles.