Santiago Island is a very special place to all of us. This is our adopted island and it is a showcase of how responsible tourism practices can entirely restore threatened ecosystems. Santiago was overrun by invasive species such as feral goats, donkeys, pigs and many others. These alien organisms were a serious threat for the local endemic animals such as tortoises, iguanas, dark-rump petrels, etc. Over the years, with enormous effort, all introduced species are gone and Santiago Islands has come back!
In the early hours we dropped anchor off Espumilla Beach. This brown beach is one of the largest nesting colonies of the Pacific green sea turtles. Nowadays these reptiles nest successfully all around the Galapagos, especially at Espumilla beach. The conservation work carried out by the Galapagos National Park has totally succeeded in the eradication of feral pigs that used to feed on turtles’ eggs. This beach is a beautiful place for a stroll and observation of sea birds and forest exploration.
Later on after breakfast we headed to a new place for more adventures. We explored Buccaneer’s Cove from Zodiacs and kayaks. This outing was a great opportunity for bird watching, especially Nazca boobies and breeding pelicans. Later on we explored the snorkeling site that offers a variety of fish and a unique landscape made of red cliffs and caves. Here there are a lot of tropical fish decorating the rocky reef as well as sea lions and nesting pelican on the rocks above the water.
Our afternoon destination was Puerto Egas. This side of the island is a dry forest at the foot of an old volcano called Sugar Loaf. The geology of the area is very interesting because it is a combination of basaltic rock and layers of volcanic ash. This is the environment where the Palo Santo forest dominates the landscape. On the other side of the forest, along the sea, we always find large groups of marine iguanas and sea lions. Puerto Egas is a great place for an afternoon walk due to its own charm of having a forest, black basalt on the shore, and lots of creatures living on the lava rocks in the tidal area.
