Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the Galapagos. Yesterday we visited the inhabited area of it and today we spent the day exploring its northern side.
It’s hard to imagine that the town of Puerto Ayora is so close… once you enter the National Park area again all your eyes can see is nature.
Our first visit was “Cerro Dragon” or Dragon Hill. The name denotes that it was one of the last refugees for our dragons – Galapagos land iguanas – which were seriously affected by introduced species such as dogs. Today the reality is positive for iguanas, as their numbers have been increasing due to the efforts of the National Park. This morning our first sightings were some interesting birds in a brackish water lagoon: Greater Flamingos, Black necked stilts, Wimbrels, Great Blue herons, all who brought life to this lagoon surrounded by reddish soil.
As we continued along the trail vegetation started covering the path, but that brought us to the iguana’s territory and soon they started appearing. We arrived to the summit of the hill from where we could enjoy an amazing view.
Then we were ready for the water! Snorkeling and beach time were welcome!
In the afternoon we got our Zodiacs to explore the shores of “Eden,” a tuff cone close to Santa Cruz Island. Our younger explorers took the opportunity to get some driving lessons which successfully ended with water splashes.
The rest of the day was a relaxing but learning experience as we circumnavigated the islet of Daphne Major, where we knew about the studies done with world famous Darwin finches. Our cocktail time began on deck as we witnessed a beautiful sunset, just as stunning as you can just experience from sea!
Another day with new experiences!
