We left behind the young, western islands and we are back in the central part of this stunning archipelago. Santiago Island is among the largest in the Galápagos and it has a collection of features that make it unique. It has very high cliffs, volcanoes, green mangrove forests which surround beautiful beaches and an amazing array of wildlife.
At day break the National Geographic Islander dropped anchor in front of Espumilla Beach, our first landing site. The soft brown sand of this beach is a magnet for nesting sea turtles. This morning we saw plenty of nests, some stilled had eggs. Pacific green sea turtles are coming back to the beaches in order to nest. This is nearly the end of the year and it is about time for the massive breeding arrival. In fact this morning we saw some turtles mating.
After breakfast we were ready for new adventures. This time we explored the snorkeling site at Buccaneer’s Cove. This outing was great indeed. We saw the real spirit of the ocean! We encountered Sea turtles, a sea lion fishing, sea birds diving, white tipped reef sharks and stingrays! These are just a few of the myriad of organisms that inhabit this area. Some of us had the opportunity to go kayaking and some explored the same location from Zodiacs.
In the afternoon the National Geographic Islander weighed anchor and took us to Puerto Egas. Shortly afterwards we headed to the shore for a nature hike. It was along the amazing tidal area. This place is dotted with large groups of marine iguanas, colonies of sea lions and plenty of shore birds. This day was packed with wonderful wildlife encounters!
