South Plaza and Santa Fe Islands, 6/2/2022, National Geographic Islander
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander
Galápagos
This morning, National Geographic Islander guests visited South Plaza Island. The coloration of Sesuvium sp is perfect against the deep blue of the ocean. The rocky trail–home to swallowed-tailed gulls, lava lizards, and marine iguanas–led us to the rocky shore. We found a big colony of Galapagos sea lions playing along the coast.
In the afternoon, Santa Fe Island offered us the chance to observe unique species like the Santa Fe land iguana, which is quite different from the Galapagos land iguana. Santa Fe land iguanas are not only bigger in size, but much more of a pale yellow in coloration. A boulder trail, surrounded by a dense forest of treelike cactus called Opuntia, ended at a white sand beach crowded with a colony of sea lions resting at sunset.
María, who goes by her middle name Paulina, was born and raised far from the sea in the Andean city of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. She came to the Galápagos Archipelago for the first time on holiday when she was nine years old, and was smitten. Sh...
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Today is the last day of our expedition, and we are visiting one of the most beautiful places in the Galapagos Islands. First, we took a hike at Darwin’s Bay, where we were surrounded by nature. Birds flew everywhere and nested just beside us. Then we headed for snorkeling in the volcano caldera. We spotted various kinds of fish, and sea lions swam alongside our guests. During the afternoon, we kayaked along the cliffs and then visited Prince Philip’s Steps. We spotted a short-eared owl on the trail. We were very lucky to observe it from such a close distance. What a wonderful day aboard National Geographic Islander II .
The second full day of our expedition took us to two marvelous locations near Santiago Island: Chinese Hat in the morning and Sullivan Bay in the afternoon. Early in the morning, we explored Chinese Hat’s picturesque shoreline by kayak. Later, we went out again in our fleet of Zodiacs. We encountered the fascinating Galapagos penguin! This flightless bird species lives close to the equator in a tropical environment, and they are one of the best examples of adaptation in the Galapagos. The penguins are very small with less feathers per square inch than the penguins that live in Antarctica. We also observed playful Galapagos sea lions, lava herons, colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs, and a diversity of seabirds, including brown noddies, Galapagos shearwaters, brown pelicans, and blue-footed boobies. After a little break, we boarded Zodiacs once again and went snorkeling in one of the most biodiverse sites in the Galapagos. We swam very close to whitetip sharks, different species of fish, large starfish, and the always charismatic and frolicsome Galapagos sea lions. After presentations on the ship in the afternoon, we explored one of my favorite locations in the Galapagos: Sullivan Bay. We went for a long hike on one of the most spectacular and extensive lava fields in the archipelago. Every step in this wild location made us think about the mesmerizing volcanic origins of the Galapagos Islands. While walking on the lava fields, it felt like going back in time. Using our imaginations, we wondered what this place was like after volcanic eruptions in the recent past. Once we returned to the ship, we talked about our new adventures and enjoyed a great barbecue dinner. We went to bed dreaming about the wonders this magical archipelago will bring to our lives tomorrow.
Today we explored two very special islands, Plazas and Santa Fe. These two small, uplifted areas are located on the east coast of Santa Cruz Island. The ecosystems are unique with many kinds of animals, including small lava lizards, owls, sharp-beaked and cactus finches, land and marine iguanas, and seagulls and various seabirds soaring along the cliffs. It is the only spot in the Galapagos where marine and land iguanas interbreed. This results in a very small colony of hybrid iguanas with rare patterns along their bodies. The iguanas have yellow stripes, rounder tails, and heads like marine iguanas. We disembarked, and the coast was full of playful sea lions. A big bull patrolled the area to protect the juvenile sea lions born just a few weeks ago when suddenly a shark arrived! The bull barked loudly to warn the colony of the presence of this enigmatic creature that feeds on sea lions. We took a path to enjoy the wildlife, and with every single step, we saw a wide variety of animals. Afterwards, we returned to the ship and took a swim in the refreshing ocean. Later, we traveled to Santa Fe Island. After lunch, we explored Santa Fe Bay, a fantastic spot with turquoise water that is home to many marine creatures. Some of our guests kayaked around the bay, and others took the opportunity to snorkel. We found sharks sleeping on the seabed, a large aggregation of eagle rays, many green sea turtles moving around the bay, marbled rays, diamond stingrays, playful sea lions that performed in front of us, and a variety of multicolored fish. What a great experience for our guests, who enjoyed close encounters with creatures that are tame here in the Galapagos. In most areas of the world, animals run away from humans; here in this archipelago, the fauna is ecologically naive. Later, we explored Santa Fe, where we admired the giant prickly opuntia cacti that is endemic to Galapagos. We also observed Santa Fe land iguanas, which are only found here. At the end of our walk, we spent a few minutes on a very small beach that is home to a colony of sea lions. Pelicans fed in the subtidal zone. It was a great finale to a magical day.
