Today we visited the northern part of Santa Cruz. This area is pristine and uninhabited. After a dry landing on the lava rocks, we went farther inland to observe the Galapagos land iguanas. These endemic reptiles are found only in the Galapagos Archipelago. We were lucky to see several land iguanas right on the trail. This visitor site is very scenic, a wonderful place to capture landscape pictures. The afternoon was spent at Bahia Borrero. It was a busy afternoon with options for everyone! Kids were having fun learning how to drive Zodiacs, while kayakers and paddleboarders explored the coastal area. There were also Zodiac cruises, and we all enjoyed great weather conditions and the amazing wildlife. It is a unique opportunity to see Pacific green sea turtles, striated herons, blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans, baby blacktip reef sharks, whitetip reef sharks, and even a tiger shark…all at the same time and in the same place. It was a fantastic day, and we made great memories!
10/4/2024
Read
National Geographic Endeavour II
Genovesa Island
With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the front balcony of the lounge to see what was going on. We had just entered Darwin’s Bay, dropped anchor, and the juvenile red-footed boobies had found the ship and were flying around us on an inspection tour. The rest of the day continued with discoveries of all kinds. An early morning inversion layer (locally known as “garúa”) had fallen and dampened the environment with much desired drops of fresh water, although the chicks of various species didn’t appear terribly pleased in having wet feathers. On our return, the same bedraggled individuals looked smooth, sleek and dry once the sun had come out. The Galapagos National Park has only two sites for visitors, both spectacular, both well worth a slow walk among the palo santo trees to see the great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, Darwin’s finches, short-eared owls, and storm petrels. Snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the base of the cliffs of Darwin’s Bay followed. There’s nothing quite like this island anywhere in the world.
