The Galapagos Islands are a sanctuary of wild life, and today we enjoyed more of the wonders that this paradise during our visit to the northern side of Santa Cruz Island. Cerro Dragon was the best way to begin our exploration, and after a comfortable dry landing, we were ready to get into nature in order to find land iguanas. From the very beginning of our excursion, we could see that nature’s marvels were on display, as sally light-foot crabs were found all over the rocks. Once we reached the sandy area, ghost crabs decorated the beautiful white sand beach.
Farther into the trail, a brackish water lagoon presented the perfect bird paradise, with the presence of black neck stilts and greater flamingos feeding on crustaceans. As soon as we came into the incense tree forest, we were surrounded by a magical combination of bird callings. Once in the heart of Cerro Dragon, it was time to look for the main attraction of the morning: Galapagos land iguanas. There were some individuals found in the vegetation, and a few others out in the open. The combination of brown and yellow colors on their bodies was something very remarkable.
At the summit of Cerro Dragon, an awe inspiring image of the islands was displayed on a marvelous landscape that we enjoyed for a few minutes before coming back on board the National Geographic Endeavour. The next adventure of the day was going to be one of the most spectacular activities of the day: deep water snorkeling. The magnificence of the Galapagos marine reserve was apparent as soon as we entered into the water. A fantastic symphony of colors was found all over the rocks, and enormous amounts of fish were surrounding us at all times.
In the afternoon, the exploration continued to El Eden Island. In order to enjoy all the wonders of nature, we had a comfortable Zodiac ride along the coast line. When we reached the mangrove area, a spectacular variety of animals were found as we got closer to the trees. Sightings of baby black tipped reef sharks, spotted eagle rays, and striated herons were some of the highlights of this excursion. At the end of this fantastic journey, we appreciated a wonderful sunset as we circumnavigated to Daphne mayor for an amazing bird spectacle. Today we had a fantastic visit to the Galapagos, and it is going to be part of our memories for a life time.
