We are in the middle of our journey in the Galapagos Islands, and today we had the opportunity to visit two islands near the centre of the archipelago.
Our first stop this morning was South Plaza. Very interesting events occurred here in order for the island to be formed. First the volcano was built up underwater and second pressure pushed this land mass out of the water. We landed on the traditional dock full of baby sea lions waiting for their mothers to come back from fishing. We then took a trail around this little island. At this time of year there is not much rain and the color of the succulent plants turn so red that it makes the landscape vibrant. We also witnessed a good number of land iguanas which feed on the cacti forest that is slowly disappearing due to their voracious appetites. After the walk we returned to the ship to go to the bridge deck and jump off. It was a great option to cool off and have some fun with the younger explorers.
Later we navigated south to the island of Santa Fe. Here we took the kayaks out for a third time during the expedition to explore the coast of this island. At the same time some others used the Zodiacs to snorkel in the famous bay of Santa Fe. For those who went snorkeling, they found so many species of fish including sharks, rays, sea lions, turtles and more. After both activities we returned back on board and changed for our very last activity, a hike. This island has its own species of land iguana, different from the one we saw this morning. Right where we landed a colony of sea lions awaited putting on a show with their particular noises and behavior.
