Santa Cruz Island, 12/16/2024, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Santa Cruz Island is located in the central part of the archipelago, and it is one of the most visited islands for its natural beauty and because it is the best island to observe and learn about the iconic Galapagos giant tortoises. Here, we get to experience the tortoises in their natural environment and at the Galapagos Giant Tortoise Breeding Center.
It was a full day filled with joy and learning experiences.
Walter was born in a very small town on the mainland of Ecuador. His first trip to the Galápagos was when he was 12 years old, visiting friends and aunt, who had moved to the islands. From the first moment he saw the Islands, he fell in love with the...
Genovesa Island is in the northeast of the Galapagos archipelago. It is also known as Tower or Sea Bird Island due to large colonies of various seabirds. The island is horseshoe-shaped due to the collapse of the southern wall of its caldera. The island has an area of 14 square kilometers with a maximum altitude of 76 meters. Genovesa Island has two visitor sites: Darwin Bay, which has a unique beach of broken coral fragments, and El Barranco. In both places, guests can observe swallow-tailed gulls (the only gulls that feed at night), red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, pelicans, Galapagos sea lions, and red-billed tropicbirds. Along the cliffs, guests can spot a colony of great frigatebirds, small-eared owls, Galapagos mockingbirds, Galapagos doves, herons, storm petrels, iconic Darwin's finches, and more.
Genovesa Island is a sensory delight. In the morning, we spent time on a sandy trail at Darwin Bay, where the absolute best of the Galapagos can be seen. This time of year – April – is extra spectacular with nesting red-footed boobies, great frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls with chicks, lava gulls, and sea lions with pups. Snorkeling was our last chance to see the underwater realm of the Galapagos before flying back to civilization tomorrow. Calm waters off the beach allowed for long minutes without human sounds. We were successful in finding a short-eared owl. The owls hunt during the day, adapting to their prey’s diurnal habits. This island is…extraordinary in an already extraordinary place.
During a relaxing pre-breakfast kayak at Chinese Hat, we had a chance to snorkel near sea lions and whitetip reef sharks. We learned about geological features, including cinder cones or tuff cones and a bunch of lava flows from about 200 years ago. We had our lovely Andean lunch in the same area, and then we moved the ship all the way to another side of Santiago Island called Sullivan Bay. We hiked around lava fields and enjoyed insane looks at desert lava flows and the alien landscape that welcomed us to another great day of adventure.
