Our new day in the Galápagos Islands started with an early morning landing at Santa Cruz Island. Enthusiastic photographers were chomping at the bit to take advantage of the magical morning light at Cerro Dragón. We touched land at six in the morning, while golden light bathed the island. Prickly pear cacti and leafless Palo Santo trees lined the landscape along the trail. After a few meters into the trail, we encountered a still water lagoon, where marine iguanas peacefully rested half-submerged. Magnificent reflections could be seen, and we were delighted with the endless composition possibilities. Suddenly, a pair of flamingos showed up. We kept walking through the trail to get the best possible angles for photography, and were lucky to see the colorful birds in their natural habitat. Land iguanas are a highlight of this trail. We searched between the dry shrubs and grasses to find several of them. Land iguanas are large, colorful and very tolerant of our presence. We spent hours either searching or photographing these primitive reptiles, while learning about them from our knowledgeable guides.
Guy Fawkes Islet was our destination for the later morning. Here we had the opportunity to go snorkeling. This remote islet was named after a British rebel, who planned the gunpowder plot in an attempt to blow up the House of Lords and assassinate Jacob 1st of England 1605. Snorkeling at this site is quite special. We submerged ourselves once again into the productive waters that surround the Galápagos Islands. A feature that makes the place special is a steep underwater cliff that drops off to about 200 feet of depth. We saw countless yellow tail surgeon fish, giant damsels, king angels, and even a sea turtle and a Galápagos penguin!
After lunch we went kayaking and our young explorers went for Zodiac driving classes around El Edén. After the activities, the National Geographic Endeavour raised the anchor to get underway. We spent a delightful evening sailing around Daphne Major. As the sun went down, we had champagne on deck and enjoyed each other’s company, as we shared our day's adventures in the Galápagos Islands.
