It is our fifth day aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II and Galapagos has shown us wonderful creatures—sea lions, blue-footed boobies, marine iguanas, giant tortoises and more! Today we visited Dragon’s Hill on Santa Cruz Island and we were able to see land iguanas for the first time during this expedition. At first we only saw their burrows and tail tracks, but soon we started spotting them. The coloration of their bodies is mostly orange, yellow, and brown, which allow them to camouflage perfectly with the environment.
Right after our hike, we returned to the ship to get ready for snorkeling! Guy Fox Islet was waiting for us with a surprise—between colorful fishes and sea stars, a giant manta ray showed up just behind us! What a wonderful creature, it was swimming just a few feet away from us, we had the time to enjoy it and admire how big and beautiful it was.
After our amazing morning activities, we had an Ecuadorian buffet on the ship, which offered us the chance to taste different regional dishes. Then after a deserved power nap, we went to the bridge to look for megafauna around the National Geographic Endeavour II, and yes! We saw sea turtles, sharks fins and more giant manta rays!
At sunset time, our hotel manager Sebastian prepared a special wine tasting for us out on deck. It was a lovely way to spend the evening, sipping wine while admiring Daphne Island with a beautiful sunset in the background.
