Today on board National Geographic Islander II, we smoothly navigated to the east side of Santa Cruz Island. On this first full day of our expedition, we arrived to South Plaza Island in the center of the archipelago.
We started the activities of the day very early in the morning. As soon as we dropped anchor, we boarded Zodiacs for an amazing pre-breakfast outing. We followed the cliffsides of the islet to see many seabirds nesting and resting on the rocks. This outing also allowed us to visit one of the archipelago’s most emblematic creatures, the golden-yellow Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus). We found several of these reptiles at one of the visitor sites where the Galapagos National Park has made great conservation efforts.
After breakfast, some guests went for a remarkable kayak outing along the cliffs, while others enjoyed some stretching classes. After that everybody joined together for a swim in the turquoise waters that surround South Plaza Island. We ended the morning with a very interesting talk about the human history of the Galapagos Islands.
After lunch, we headed to Santa Fe Island. There we enjoyed deep water snorkeling, playful sea lions, and pacific green sea turtles that were resting in the area.
After that, our guests went walking among dozens of curious sea lions in a breeding colony at the beach. Some of us went for a hike deep into the island to find the unique Santa Fe land iguana. At the same time, others enjoyed a second round of kayaking along the cliffs to take pictures. It was a very special experience in paradise, with a beautiful ocean sunset to end the day.
