South Plaza and Santa Fe Island
South Plaza is a small island off the east coast of Santa Cruz Island that was formed by lava up streaming from the bottom of the ocean. The area is about 0.13 km2 and a maximum altitude of 23 meters. Despite its small size this marvelous island is home to a large number of species and a bizarre flora. Because of its unique volcanic formation it is possible to see a great number of birds such as red-billed tropicbirds, Galapagos shearwaters and swallow-tailed gulls but most of all, the beautiful view from the top of steep cliffs is an extremely pleasurable experience. The attractiveness of this island immerses us in a prickly pear cactus tree forest and a large colony of Galapagos land iguanas. In addition, the low growing vegetation such as Sesuvium, which changes its color from intense green in the rainy season to orange and red in the dry season, was particularly impressive today.
Santa Fe Island, also known as Barrington Island after admiral Samuel Barrington, is a small island with 24 km² of area. This island lies in the center of the Galapagos archipelago. Geologically it is one of the oldest islands in the Galapagos, since volcanic rocks of about 4 million years old have been found on it. The vegetation of the island is characterized by Cordia lutea, Croton scouleri, Scalesia helleri, Bursera graveolens and one of the largest prickly pear cactus found in the Galapagos Islands, Opuntia echios barringtonensis. Among animals, Santa Fe Island is home of two endemic species. For instance, Santa Fe land iguana (Conolophus pallidus) and Santa Fe Rice Rat (Oryzomys bauri) are unique to this ancient Island. Furthermore, large numbers of sea lions were found on the beaches within the bay.
This magical day had a lot to offer; different activities such as kayaking, snorkeling and hiking were offered to our guests. Each activity was full of surprises and we were immersed in them. Curious Galapagos hawks and newborn sea lions made us fall in love with Mother Nature one more time.
The magic of the underwater realm was unique; sea turtles in their cleaning stations and large school of Black Striped Salema (Xenocys jessiae) made this day unforgettable.
