Our expedition around this magical archipelago brought us today to one of the most beautiful hidden treasures of the Galápagos archipelago, South Plaza Island. This small island, which is in fact only some few hundred yards long, was once part of the ocean floor.
The amount of wildlife that inhabits this paradise is overwhelming. During our early walk colorful Galápagos land iguanas were observed everywhere. There are several Galápagos sea lion colonies in this island as well. Some big sea lions were seen searching for the best position for napping while some juveniles were either exploring or playing in the surroundings causing laughter and delight in their observers.
Further inland we found a spectacular cliff side where many seabird species could be observed either flying around or resting. Once we arrived to the highest point of the cliff, we found the best site to watch seabirds in action. Galápagos shearwaters were skimming the ocean surface looking for food Nazca boobies were also gliding along the cliffs. Swallow-tailed gulls were seen either flying around or taking care of their hungry youngsters. Occasionally, frigatebirds were seen gliding in the blue sky as well.
After this magical morning visit we went back to the ship to have our breakfast. Later on in the morning we had two activities. Swimming and jumping from the ship!, and a presentation with naturalist Fabian Bucheli, who talked about the human history of the Galápagos Islands.
After lunch we had some downtime before starting the afternoon’s activities. Soon after, it was time to get ready for kayaking along Santa Fe Island. In this remote location there is striking scenery where volcanic cliffs are filled with giant prickly pear cacti. Some guests opted to go snorkeling and they had a blast as the waters were very calm today and many colorful reef fish species were seen—including many rays and some sharks.
Once everyone was back onboard we put on our walking outfits to explore the trails of Santa Fe Island. The landing beach is home to many Galápagos sea lions that were the delight of their observers. The rocky inland trail led us to an encounter with a couple of pale brownish-green land iguanas, the famous Santa Fe land iguana (Conolophus pallidus). This latter species, as is name implies, in only found on this small island, nowhere else in Galápagos. A juvenile Galápagos hawk was seen at a close ranges as well.
We finally returned to the ship, many of us feeling that we were privileged to spend a whole day in this paradise visiting two small, but unforgettable, islands that showed us so much of the beauty of Galápagos.
