We just as well could have been visiting a different island. In actuality, we visited the same island we had just spent the day before visiting, focused on giant tortoises and the human angle to Galapagos. But that was seemingly ages ago (yesterday), and today we were on the northwest corner of the island, full rain-shadow effect, and dry as a bone. Land iguanas were our focus today, and we were very successful, finding them strategically spaced out around “Dragon Hill”, near either their burrows or their favorite prickly pear cactus, waiting for flowers or fruit to fall within reach. They are very patient creatures and can wait for weeks if necessary.

The afternoon was spent searching for marine life, and so we cruised west, north, but ended up east just in time for sunset as the captain took the National Geographic Endeavour II around Daphne Major Islet.