Our first journey into the Galapagos National Park brought us to Española Island, one of the oldest islands in the archipelago with an incredible diversity of life. Turquoise waters surround the small satellite islands of Española, and we explored a fine coralline sand beach with resident Galapagos sea lions and Española mockingbirds flitting about. While snorkeling, we caught glimpses of Pacific green sea turtles, diamond stingrays, and young Galapagos sea lion pups. It was a great view of the undersea world. During the afternoon, we made a short navigation and arrived at Suarez Point. While hiking, we got close to waved albatrosses, a majestic species that is only found on this island. Numerous albatrosses were seen floating offshore while Nazca boobies lined the southern cliffs of Española. Marine iguanas returned from foraging in the sea, and young sea lions played in the shallows as they awaited the return of their mothers. The sun dipped below the horizon as the last birds returned to their roosts on the coast.
1/21/2025
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Santa Cruz Island
We had a day full of wildlife encounters mixed with unique and fun cultural experiences on Santa Cruz Island. From the town of Puerto Ayora, we got on buses to visit El Trapiche Farm. It’s an interactive farm where our guests had the opportunity to learn about the process of sugarcane, cocoa, and coffee production. These activities are displayed by a local family that has followed these traditions for many generations. Our guests took part in these activities by helping to extract sugarcane juice, roasting coffee in an old-fashioned way, and distilling sugarcane liqueur. It was definitely a fun way for our guests to interact with the locals while learning how they make a living from farming. And as an extra bonus, we saw a barn owl sitting on a beam of the interior of the building’s roof. After visiting El Trapiche, our guests had a great time seeing the emblematic giant tortoises roaming freely by Manzanillo Ranch. We saw tortoises wandering around, some inside a mud pond, and even a mating couple. It was a spectacular way to end another day in the Galapagos.