Santa Cruz Island, 5/26/2022, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Guests onboard National Geographic Endeavour II spent the day exploring Santa Cruz Island. We visited the Charles Darwin Research Station and the captive breeding center followed by the Trapiche Farm in the highlands. Finally, guests observed and photographed Santa Cruz giant tortoises at Manzanillo Ranch.
Sebastian was born in the enchanted land of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, and has spent his life between the two opposite environments of a large, bustling city and a remote island paradise.
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We had a beautiful morning exploring this incredible spot in the Galapagos Archipelago. We visited Cormorant Point early in the morning to see flamingos grazing, blue-footed boobies in action, and the surprise of a huge pod of bottlenose dolphins swimming by the bay. After breakfast we explored the Galapagos seas onboard the glass bottom Zodiac and with a snorkeling excursion. Playful sea lions entertained our guests, and multicolor fish were seen everywhere. In the afternoon we explored Post Office Bay, a legendary place in the human history of Galapagos, full of mysteries, tragedies, pirates, and whalers. We ended our day kayaking until the sun went down and our guests were fully satisfied exploring the enchanted islands.
Española Island is an amazing first destination to visit in the Galapagos Islands because it is a fully immersive experience. Gardner Bay welcomes everyone with crystal-clear waters, white powdery sand, and a bunch of friendly sea lions and mockingbirds. We took part in snorkeling, followed by a beach stroll in this pristine place. Back on board National Geographic Endeavour II, we motored to our next destination at the westernmost point of Española Island. Punta Suarez is where the first documentaries of Galapagos wildlife were filmed in the 70s, and it has retained its appeal and rugged beauty. The juvenile waved albatrosses were a favorite, and an invigorating three-hour walk flew by and left everyone wanting more.
For the last full day of our expedition we visited San Cristóbal Island, also known as Chatham by the early sailors. We started early in the morning with a hike of about 2 kilometers; surrounded by giant tuff cones and dry-looking vegetation, we encountered the famous red-footed and blue-footed boobies. As we finished the hike, we enjoyed the water of an olivine-rich beach at Pitt’s Point. Later in the day, we continued navigating along the coastline of Darwin’s first island of the Galapagos. We stopped by Cerro Brujo, “Finger hill” for the whalers, and continued to another coralline beach with an amazing contrast of colors. Lastly, we finished our day by circumnavigating the mystical Kicker Rock.
