We left behind the youngest western islands and we are back in the central part of this stunning archipelago. Santiago Island is one of the largest in the Galápagos and has a collection of features that make it unique. With very high cliffs, volcanoes, green mangrove forests surrounding beautiful beaches and an amazing collection of wildlife, it’s a very special place to explore.
At day break 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 still with eggs from the last individuals that reached this place. 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, as the cold ocean prevails in the center part of the archipelago.
Later in the morning, after breakfast, we were ready for new adventures. This time we headed out to explore the snorkeling site at Buccaneer’s Cove. This outing was great indeed and 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, just to mention a few of the many organisms that inhabit this area. Some of us had the opportunity to go kayaking and some explored the same place from Zodiacs.
In the afternoon National Geographic Islander weighed anchor and took us to Puerto Egas. Shortly afterwards we headed to the shore for a nature hike which 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.
It was another amazing day full of incredible things to experience.
