While we were sleeping last night, our ship was navigating from the western side of Isabela Island to the central part of the archipelago again. We arrived to Santiago to explore the island where Charles Darwin spent most of his time during his famous trip to the Galapagos.
Santiago, also known as James Island or San Salvador, is the fourth largest island in Galapagos. It is an iconic island due to the different projects of conservation that have been taking place there, including the eradication of goats, the reintroduction of giant tortoises, and more.
The dramatic shores of Santiago welcomed us with some strong waves, making the scenery even more beautiful. Early in the morning, we disembarked on Espumilla Beach to have a walk among giant palo santo trees, brackish water lagoons and mangrove forests. We spotted a few different species of shore birds. But the highlight was a chorus of Darwin finches, which sang for us as we walked, in an early concert to start our day.
After we had returned to the ship for breakfast, the winds became stronger and the waves bigger, but that didn´t keep us from our water activities. Snorkeling was challenging but rewarding too, and we had the opportunity to swim with sharks, rays and lots of colorful fish. Some of us kayaked, and others went for a ride on our glass bottom boat.
In the afternoon we visited Puerto Egas. After an exciting landing on a black beach, our walk took us to an area known as “the Grottos”: these formations are collapsed lava tubes, where fur seals find crevices to nestle in during the day. We explored the tide pools along the shore, where we observed several sea lions, marine iguanas and herons. The area was so beautiful that we spent the entire afternoon here, returning to the beach with the last lights of the day. It was a beautiful day on Santiago, and our adventure continues tomorrow!
