Santa Cruz Island, 3/5/2024, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Santa Cruz Island is the second largest inhabited island in the Galapagos Archipelago. Our day was filled with excitement as we visited the Breeding Center for Galapagos Giant Tortoises and observed the local farming practices, gaining insight into the island's culture.
In the afternoon we had the pleasure of searching for wild Galapagos giant tortoises under the beautiful, sunny, and warm weather.
Gilda was born in Ambato, located in the very heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. Since she was a child, she loved animals, often rescuing street cats and dogs. Her parents always made sure there were nature books and plenty of Jacques Cousteau’s videos a...
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Our first full day in the Galapagos and we started with a visit to Española Island at the southeastern side of the archipelago. Our first visitor site, Gardner Bay, has a mile-long sandy beach with turquoise water where we went snorkeling. We also enjoyed various wildlife, including mockingbirds and Galapagos sea lions. Soon after, we were all back onboard having lunch and repositioning to Punta Suarez. Once we arrived, we went for a walk searching for the famous waved albatross. We also had an opportunity to take a more leisurely stroll to admire the baby sea lions, turtles, and more. This was our first day exposed to amazing wildlife that is free from fear of encounters with humans, allowing us to appreciate them up close in their natural habitat.
The spectacular, eroded slopes of Punta Pitt was our first sight, and everyone rose early for our last full day in the archipelago. This northeastern most corner of the island is one of the few places that all three species of booby – Nazca, blue-footed, and red-footed – nest and breed. Hikes, Zodiac rides, swimming, and snorkeling filled the morning with successful sightings and unforgettable experiences. Two Galapagos sea lion pups on the beach stole the show, despite having both white and brown morphotypes of the red-footed booby perched not too far up the cliff, red feet practically shining. By noon we were sailing southwest along the coast towards Cerro Brujo. The afternoon’s destination has almost no equal here in Galapagos. The long, sugar-fine white beach allows for one last decompression stop before tomorrow’s trip back into civilization.
As we continue our expedition in the Galapagos Archipelago, today we visited Santa Cruz Island, the second largest island at almost 1000 Km2. Here lies Puerto Ayora, a town that is home to the majority of the population of the Galapagos and also represents the economic center of the province. With an early start, we went to the Galapagos National Park Breeding Center and learned about the history of the prehistoric tortoises, an animal which the archipelago is best known. We also had the chance to explore local businesses like the hydroponics and sugarcane farms, as well as an ecotourist farm with tortoises and delicious food. To finish our day, we celebrated with some local musicians and dancers. It was a perfect ending to a wonderful day.