Dragon Hill & Chinese Hat
Today we started our expedition in the southeast corner of Santa Cruz Island. The morning hike took place at Dragon Hill, named after the land iguanas which are considered the dragons of the Galápagos. This is the habitat for the land iguanas and the first one we found crossed our path through the group without looking at us. They were concentrated, feeding on the scare vegetation that they can find during this “cold dry season.” The weather was very pleasant, with a cool breeze running through a small hill that dominates the site.
After coming back aboard we geared up for snorkeling at one of the Guy Fawkes Islets. The snorkeling was relaxing; the sea lions enjoyed our presence and demonstrated their superiority at swimming, surrounded by an interesting underwater landscape.
In the afternoon, we jumped off the Zodiacs at Chinese Hat. The Galápagos penguins were quite active. People observed from the surface an iguana down below, gripping a rock with its claws and shearing vigorous chunks off the algae.
Galápagos always amazes us. Even on a common day in the islands, you can feel the naïve presence of nature in its purest state.
