Floreana Island has many visitors’ sites, and each one offers very different attractions on land and in the water. It is a great place to see flamingos, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, turtles, and sea lions. We stopped at the post office barrel and even saw Galapagos penguins. We had the opportunity to see many fish from our glass-bottom boat, and we finished the morning with deep-water snorkeling. In the afternoon, we visited the famous post office barrel and kayaked for close encounters with the wildlife.
4/30/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Santa Cruz Island
Early in the morning we awoke to the view of green palo santo trees marching up the hill from Santa Cruz and Baltra Islands. After breakfast we took buses to go on an exploration of the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center in Puerto Ayora. At the breeding center, we spotted several species of giant tortoises and learned about the projects currently happening to restore the dynasty of these giant endemic reptiles of the Galapagos. Later, we enjoyed lunch at a waterfront restaurant and continued our exploration in the highlands of Santa Cruz to visit the giant tortoises in their natural habitat. We spotted several male tortoises and a few females. We had great opportunities for photography at this location. After the visit to the giant tortoise ranch known as El Manzanillo, we ventured to an area with twin pit craters and then made our way back to National Geographic Gemini for evening recap.
