Today we visited my home island, Santa Cruz. Puerto Ayora town is located in the southern part of Santa Cruz Island, and here we find the headquarters of the Galapagos National Park and the famous Charles Darwin Research Station. We used this opportunity to visit the giant tortoise breeding center and learn firsthand about the conservation efforts to protect the Galapagos Archipelago. There was even time for shopping and wandering in the cozy town. In the afternoon, we visited the highlands, stopping first at a local farm, called El Trapiche, then we all enjoyed a great meal served at a restaurant Aquelarre and the rest of the afternoon was spent at the giant tortoise natural reserve. Here our guests had a great time observing the gentle giants in their environment. It was a fantastic day!
5/11/2025
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Española Island
We started our expedition by visiting one of the oldest islands of the archipelago and quite a fantastic one. We explored the beach in the morning and the inside of the island in the afternoon. Our first outing was a snorkel exploration of a small islet located on Gardner Bay, where we observed sharks, sea lions, sea turtles, spotted eagle rays, and many colorful fish! The temperature of the water, great visibility, and an abundance of life made for an outstanding first deep-water snorkel. We also walked and swam on a beautiful white sand beach next to the big colony of sea lions that live here. In the afternoon, we hiked on Suárez Point. This is the only site in the archipelago where we can find the very famous waved albatross. We walked a rocky trail and spotted marine iguanas and lava lizards with nearly every step before reaching the nesting grounds of Nazca boobies and the albatrosses. These wonderful and magnificent marine birds nested and displayed for their mates. We observed the beauty of these animals as we enjoyed the sunset. It was a spectacular first full day.