Our day began with a pre-breakfast kayaking outing at Chinese Hat, where we had the chance to learn about geological features like cinder cones, tuff cones, and lava flows that date back as far as 20,000 years ago. We also enjoyed a snorkeling excursion in the same area, and then we relocated National Geographic Islander II to the other side of Santiago Island at Sullivan Bay. Here, we hiked around frozen lava fields.
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Islander II
South Plazas and Santa Fe Islands
South Plazas is a small island of the Galapagos archipelago, with vibrant vegetation, a big colony of Galapagos land iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, and Galapagos sea lions along the coast. It’s awesome to walk through this rocky terrain on this sunny morning, while at the same time being surrounded by this spectacular wildlife. Afterward we returned to National Geographic Islander II , enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and then set out for kayaking with sea lions playing beside us. In the afternoon we reached our second destination of the day, Santa Fe Island, which is another stunning site with unique wildlife. Our first activity was snorkeling, where we were surrounded by different kinds of fish and some young, playful Galapagos sea lions. Later we went for a hike and looked for the Santa Fe land iguana, a species exclusive to this site. We found a few of them getting ready for the night, walking to their burrows where they sleep. We were mesmerized by the size and the yellow coloration of this precious reptile.
