Santiago Island: Espumilla Beach, Buccaneer’s Cove, Puerto Egas , 6/23/2022, National Geographic Islander
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander
Galápagos
As we approach the end of a wonderful exploration onboard National Geographic Islander, we visited the mysterious Santiago Island, also known as James Island, so named by pirates. We started our day with an early walk along the beach. After a wet landing, our guests enjoyed the peaceful and unique landscape of beaches and a button/white mangrove forest.
Along the sandy area, we appreciated green turtle nesting sites. By late morning, we move to Buccaneer’s Cove, an anchoring spot for pirates and whalers who wandered to this island to hide and to look for food and water. We enjoyed experiencing the marine diversity and the geologic landscape of the site.
At the end of the day, we visited Puerto Egas. Some of our guests enjoyed a relaxing time on the basaltic eroded beach, and others went for a walk along the island. The trail goes around the arid zone of the island and along the coastline. It was a nice opportunity to explore the intertidal zone.
Felipe’s connection with the Galapagos Archipelago dates back to his great grandparents, who came to the islands in the 1930s. The Wittmer family moved to the island of Floreana and were one of the first families to settle in the Galapagos. Felipe’s ...
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San Cristobal has its own giant tortoise population, as well as endemic lava lizards and snakes. These are examples of adaptive radiation in the archipelago. We have had a successful week full of great memories. The unique and friendly animals found in this group of islands are not found anywhere else on our planet.
What a wonderful day on Española Island! This isolated island, located on the southeastern side of the Galapagos, is one of the oldest in the archipelago, geologically speaking. The volcanic landscape is breathtaking with high cliffs and white sand beaches. Española is home for many species that are not only endemic to the Galapagos but endemic to the island. Española mockingbirds, Española lava lizards, Española marine iguanas, and the waved albatross are the most representative of the endemic species. Early in the morning, National Geographic Islander II anchored at Gardner Bay. The spectacular pure white sand beach is beautiful. The sun was shining, and the Galapagos sea lions that call this paradise home rested near the aquamarine water. In the afternoon, we visited Punta Suarez. We followed a long, rocky trail as we explored. Myriads of colorful marine iguanas and marine birds were seen everywhere. We admired and photographed blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies. We had a wonderful surprise today, as well. We spotted a couple waved albatrosses, one of the most beautiful marine birds in the world. During the last week in December, these birds normally abandon the island to venture into the open ocean for several months. At sunset, we returned to the ship with our minds filled with so many memories. Our hearts were replenished by the much-needed tonic of wilderness. Galapagos always evokes wonder in its visitors.
The morning was warm, and the sun woke us up early to explore Post Office Bay on Floreana Island. This legendary place is full of human history dating back to pirates, whalers, and early colonists. Some of our intrepid guests kayaked around the bay, where the many little islets are home to blue-footed boobies, seagulls, herons, and sea lions. In the ocean, rays and marine turtles started another day. We landed on the beach to visit the oldest mailing system in the Galapagos Islands. The site was established in 1792. Whalers set up a wooden barrel to collect correspondence from visitors passing through Floreana. Later, other sailors could deliver those letters to their next destination. This hand-delivery system has worked very well for around 231 years. We kept the tradition alive by taking some postcards and leaving our own behind in this historical spot. After breakfast, we motored a short distance to arrive at Champion Islet for snorkeling and tours around the islet in the glass-bottom boat. The snorkeling was outstanding. As soon as we jumped in the water, we spotted a wide variety of multicolored fish. The rocky lava is a benthonic wonder covered in barnacles, shells, sea urchins, and colorful sea stars. The highlight was a huge school of salemas. The final touch was a Galapagos shark that emerged from the school of fish for a few seconds before disappearing into the blue depths of the ocean. Our guests had a lot of fun playing with juvenile sea lions. A guest asked me what kind of marine species we would see before we snorkeled, and I guessed sharks; indeed, we saw around ten whitetip reef sharks as we drifted in the water. What a premonition! In the afternoon, we visited Cormorant Point, where we had a great adventure. We observed seabirds diving, flamingos in a brackish water lagoon, marine turtles mating in the water, and stingrays burrowing in the white sand to avoid predators. We had a great day! We enjoyed every single minute, and the nature was astonishing. The frosting on the cake was a spectacular sunset that decorated the sky and welcomed a night full of stars with a very clear Milky Way. We made some great memories and had unforgettable experiences.
