We spent the morning on the small island of South Plaza. We were welcomed by Galapagos sea lions; females and pups were all around the landing place. There are a good number of Galapagos land iguanas on South Plaza, and we observed them underneath the prickly pear cacti along the trail. As we walked by the cliffs, we saw many seabirds flying, such as swallow-tailed gulls, Galapagos shearwaters, brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, and red-billed tropicbirds. It is a challenge for photographers to get pictures of birds in flight; however, with the right settings and patience, it is always possible! The afternoon was spent at the island of Santa Fe. Here we enjoyed kayaking and snorkeling inside the protected bay, a great place for colorful fish and playful Galapagos sea lions. We ended the day with a great hike. We observed huge prickly pear cacti, Santa Fe land iguanas, and hundreds of sea lions on a white sandy beach. It was a fantastic day in paradise!
3/18/2025
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National Geographic Islander II
San Cristobal Island
Today our guests had the opportunity to visit San Cristóbal Island, one of the oldest islands at about 4 million years old. We visited Punta Pitt very early in the morning where we disembarked on its incredible green-sand beach. Soon after, we hiked along a tuff cone volcano’s trail where our guests saw the three species of boobies that inhabit the Galapagos. The highlight was the red-footed boobies that we saw for the first time. After the hike, our guests had time to relax and snorkel from the beach. In the afternoon, our guests enjoyed beautiful Cerro Brujo Beach, considered one of the top 10 best beaches in the world to visit. Cerro Brujo, with its turquoise waters, allowed us to relax and enjoy the ocean and the unique wildlife. And finally, to end this incredible day, we sailed around Kicker Rock where our guests said goodbye to this beautiful island on the southeast side of the archipelago.