Santiago Island, 6/8/2023, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today we woke up for an early pre-breakfast walk on Espumilla Beach on Santiago Island. Here we could observe many bird species such as blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans. After a delicious breakfast, the kayakers and paddle boarders went along the shore while other guests went for snorkeling in Buccaneers Cove.
In the afternoon, we visited Puerto Egas. This wonderful shoreline was a great backdrop for photographers who had the chance to spend some time with sea lions and marine iguanas basking on the lava rocks. We finished this last full day on the Galapagos Islands with a cocktail in the lounge of National GeographicIslander II.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
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Our wonderful day in paradise started when Expedition Leader Jonathan Aguas announced over the PA system, “We are going to leave early because we’ve spotted dolphins!” Off we went in our Zodiacs for an experience of a lifetime, hundreds of bottlenose dolphins surrounded us. This was just the start of an incredible day on San Cristobal Island! We hiked at Punta Pitt and spotted all the species of boobies found in the archipelago: blue-footed, Nazca, and red-footed boobies. The scenery on this eroded tuff cone was breathtaking. The afternoon was spent at one of most beautiful beaches in the world, Cerro Brujo. The white, powdery sand beach is home to a large colony of Galapagos sea lions. Galapagos is a magical place!
Today, our adventure began early with a special pre-breakfast kayaking option for our early risers. We paddled along the calm waters of Gardner Bay. It was a stunning experience as we encountered marine turtles gliding gracefully through the water and playful sea lions. Along the shore, blue-footed boobies and a few pelicans delighted our guests with their presence, making the early morning outing truly magical. After breakfast, we set off for a spectacular snorkeling session around Gardner Islet. The underwater world was alive with sea turtles, and curious sea lions swam circles around us. Next, we landed on the pristine white sands of Gardner Beach. Here, we had the unique opportunity to interact with the Española mockingbird, a species endemic to this island. In the afternoon, we had a dry landing at Punta Suárez, one of the island's most iconic spots. As we walked further inland, we encountered the Nazca booby, the largest of the three booby species found in the Galápagos. But the real star of the day was the waved albatross, the largest seabird in the archipelago and endemic to these islands. We spotted several of these majestic birds along the trail, including many albatross chicks whose brownish-gray plumage blended perfectly with the surrounding vegetation.
Our visit to Floreana Island began early, with a pre-breakfast kayaking adventure along the calm waters of Post Office Bay. We encountered dozens of sea turtles swimming gracefully near our kayaks, providing an incredible start to our day. Later we embarked on a Zodiac ride along Champion Islet. Here, we were fortunate enough to spot the elusive Floreana mockingbird that is found on the neighboring islets. We enjoyed an incredible snorkeling session around Champion Islet and saw several whitetip reef sharks, eagle rays, sea turtles, and, to the delight of our guests, playful Galapagos sea lions! In the afternoon, we visited Punta Cormorant. During our walk we observed American flamingos, including several juveniles whose pale white feathers contrasted beautifully with the bright pink plumage of the adults. At the white sandy beach, we spotted sea turtles and a few sharks swimming close to the shore. We went back on board with lasting memories of this wonderful day in the Galapagos.
