Santa Cruz Island, 5/5/2025, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today our guests explored Santa Cruz Island. After a delicious breakfast we landed in Puerto Ayora, which is the home port for most of the tour boat operations in the Galapagos. This town is also where the Galapagos National Park headquarters and Charles Darwin Research Station are located.
Today our guests hiked into giant tortoise territory and learned about the iconic giant tortoise restoration project.
Salvador Cazar studied biology at the Universidad Nacional Del Sur, Bahía Blanca, in Argentina and at the Catholic University of Ecuador. Between 1988 and 1994, Salvador worked as a naturalist and tour leader for several national and international to...
In the morning, we explored a beautiful mangrove swamp for a Zodiac ride, and later we went kayaking. We found lots of blacktip sharks as well as sea turtles and different types of rays, like the spotted eagle and the golden cow rays. A group of blue-footed boobies started to fish in groups and jumped in the ocean like torpedoes to plunge dive. A diamond ray also passed by and stopped to eat some seashells. In the afternoon, we visited Bachas Beach, an important place for nesting sea turtles. Some guests walked to a lagoon to find shore birds, and other guests went deep-water snorkeling from the rocks. We found parrotfish and yellow-tailed damsel fish.
Our day began with a unique moment, crossing the equator in the early morning hours as we sailed toward Punta Vicente Roca on the northwestern tip of Isabela Island. A traditional celebration marked the occasion, with cheers from the deck and a chance to reflect on our passage over one of Earth’s most iconic geographic lines. After breakfast, we boarded Zodiacs to explore the coastal cliffs and caves of Punta Vicente Roca. The towering remnants of a submerged volcanic caldera create a dramatic backdrop, rich in both geology and wildlife. Along the rugged shoreline, we observed flightless cormorants, Nazca and blue-footed boobies, and a number of Galápagos fur seals resting in shaded crevices. Following a scenic navigation across the Bolívar Channel, we arrived at Espinosa Point on Fernandina Island, the youngest and most volcanically active island in the Galápagos./p> In the water, we were surrounded by an abundance of marine life, including sea turtles and agile marine iguanas feeding underwater. After drying off, we set out on a walk across the striking lava landscape. The marine iguana colonies were particularly impressive today, with hundreds gathered together to absorb the warmth of the afternoon sun.
At 6:30 in the morning, some guests joined us for an expedition on North Seymour Island, which is slowly losing its green color due to the beginning of the dry season. It is a perfect time of year to see blue-footed booby couples starting to reproduce with the typical courtship displays and a good number of male frigatebirds with their red gular sack inflated. We encountered a good number of healthy land iguanas since they still have a lot of food, thanks to the previous wet season. While navigating to Rabida Island, bottlenose dolphins escorted National Geographic Islander II for at least 45 minutes, and guests had an excellent time watching them. In the afternoon, we snorkeled from the beach with colorful fish and young, playful sea lions who put on a great show. At the end of the day some guests took a walk on the red colored sand and watched American flamingos behind the dune at a saltwater lagoon. Others went kayaking along the coast full of land and sea birds.
