Today we awoke anchored on the eastern side of Santa Cruz Island, right near two uplifted islands shaped like parentheses known as the Plazas. On South Plazas, we lucked upon a healthy population of land iguanas in their natural habitat. We also had a great panoramic view from the 30-meter cliff of the island, an ideal vantage for observing marine birds in flight. In the afternoon, we navigated for about an hour to Santa Fé Island (named after a city in Spain). Here we had our first snorkeling and kayaking activities. We enjoyed the diversity of marine life, especially the groups of sea turtles at their cleaning stations. To finish a great day, we took a short walk at sunset surrounded by giant prickly pear cacti.
3/25/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Floreana Island
As the early morning rays began to peek over the cone spattered profile of Floreana Island, our early bird guests woke to greet the day with a kayak excursion and Zodiac cruise along the shores. During their exploration, guests encountered juvenile blacktip sharks, marine turtles, rays, sleepy sea lions, and many birds, including a rare sighting of the white tern! After a delicious breakfast in the Beagle Grill, everyone headed out to further explore Post Office Bay, the lands where whalers, pirates, and the first colonizers of Galapagos explored. The group visited the ingenious Post Office barrel to continue a long existing tradition of hand delivering mail around the world. Afterward, we went deep into the earth (~30m) via a lava tunnel to explore the beautiful geological formations created by volcanoes. The day was far from over, as these were only the morning activities. After lunch everyone enjoyed a spectacular snorkel at Champion Islet where they encountered colorful reef fish, sea lions, rainbow runners, and more. A peaceful walk around Punta Cormorant at sunset to view flamingos and a storytelling session of the human history from Gaby after dinner, was the perfect way to finish a beautiful day.