We have successfully completed half of the expedition and more surprises are to come after our trip to Santa Cruz and civilization.
South Plaza is located on the east coast of Santa Cruz and it has a completely different ecosystem than the islands before it. It was formed by several uplifts thousands of years ago and proof of that shift are seen in the many pieces of coral found on the islet.
The Galapagos hawk has less commonly found since humans settled on the islands. On South Plaza this species patiently waits under the prickly pears the entire day for some leaves, flowers or fruits to fall. This small islet next to Santa Cruz also offers one of the best landscapes during the trip. There is a forest of prickly pear cacti that keeps its foliage the entire year round and it gives a green coloration to Plaza. On the other side, a low plant called Galapagos carpet weed stays red in the dry season to require the least amount of energy. The green of the cacti contrasted with the intense scarlet color of the carpet weed makes this island very striking. It was a long walk under the equatorial sun, so after finding all the particular species living here we headed back to the ship for some refreshments.
During the afternoon our home moved to Santa Fe Island, which is just two hours away from Plazas, so everyone could enjoy a brief nap after lunch. The National Geographic Islander anchored just outside of a sandy bottom bay which was our snorkeling site. The temperature of the water was perfect and the marine life was rich with a variety of tropical fish forming big schools and grazing the algae off the rocks. Then we encountered some of the first green sea turtles of the trip. Later we deployed our Zodiacs for some guests who decided to hike on the island. There were sea lions that greeted the hikers as soon as they landed and a rare species found only on this island, the Santa Fe land iguana, decided to join the welcoming committee as well.
It was another great day full of excursions, exploring different landscapes, surrounded by unique wildlife and marine life.
