Today we woke ahead of schedule to catch the amazing sunrise reflecting from Kicker Rock, a tuff cone off the San Cristobal coast. This was a great moment to practice our photography while enjoying a delicious cup of coffee from the vantage of National Geographic Islander’s sky deck.
After breakfast we disembarked to visit Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the political capital of Galapagos. Here we toured Cerro Tijeretas, one of the most important visitor sites in town. While some guests spent some extra time swimming in the calm waters of Carola Beach, others went for shopping along the town boardwalk.
In the afternoon, we left by bus to visit the “Galapaguera,” a breeding center established in order to revitalize the local population of giant tortoises. Here we had the chance to learn the natural history of these animals and the conservation efforts led by the Galapagos National Park to protect this iconically endemic species of the Galapagos. Before re-boarding for the night, we met with a group of students who shared insights from a project dealing with interactions between humans and Galapagos sea lions. We capped our day with a delicious dinner, followed by a great display of local dancers performing in the lounge of National Geographic Islander.
