Santiago Island, 3/13/2025, National Geographic Delfina
Aboard the
National Geographic Delfina
Galápagos
Today we visited the island of Santiago. In the morning, we explored the coastline of Puerto Egas and also spent some time on the beach observing the friendly creatures resting on the rocks.
In the afternoon, we explored Buccaneer Cove by kayak, snorkeling, and Zodiac riding. The western side of Santiago offered remarkable moments observing wildlife and great moments for photography.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
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National Geographic Delfina left the western realm of the Galápagos Islands, and today we visited Santiago Island. This is a historic place, as Darwin camped here for several days. We started the day with an early natural history walk at a place called Puerto Egas. We saw marine iguanas, fur sea lions, a young sea lion playing with a pufferfish, and more. After that, we enjoyed a beautiful moment relaxing in the warm water at the beach. In the afternoon, we changed location to Buccaneer Cove, where we enjoyed more water activities, such as snorkeling and panga rides along the shores of the bay. As the sun began to set over the calm waters of the cove, we reflected on another unforgettable day in this extraordinary archipelago, where nature continues to astonish at every turn.
Today’s expedition was definetly a dolphin-y day! Our morning began at Urbina Bay, where we stepped onto a rugged shoreline that rose dramatically from the sea during an uplift event in 1954. We had an amazing morning watching tortoises and iguanas. As we navigated towards Tagus Cove, we spotted bottlenose dolphins cutting through the waves with effortless grace. Dolphins play an important ecological role in marine environments. As apex predators, they help regulate fish populations and indicate the health of the ocean. Their presence today was not only a visual treat but a reassuring sign of thriving marine life around Isabela Island.
We had a birthday on board today, and to celebrate, a pod of pilot whales and dolphins woke us up! After breakfast, we took an hour-long Zodiac ride along the coast of Isabela to find flightless cormorants, playful sea lions, and blue-footed boobies diving for fish. With a quick change into cooler, deep-water snorkeling gear, we donned our wetsuits to explore along the cliffs. We jumped in quickly to spot a sea lion playing with a batfish it had brought up from the deep. In the afternoon we moved to Fernandina, the youngest island in the archipelago. There we spotted a whale skeleton and a cluster of marine iguanas lounging along the lava flows. We finished the day with a wine tasting, paired with a wonderful view of the volcanoes of the Galápagos.
