Located near the center of the archipelago, Santiago is one of the largest islands in the Galapagos. The island has many features that make it one of our favorites, including the landscape and unique assemblage of species. Today we explored two sites. In the morning, we visited Chinese Hat, and we explored Sullivan Bay in the afternoon. Both places are outstanding and unique. We definitely had one of the best days of our expedition.
3/23/2023
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National Geographic Islander II
South Plaza Island and Santa Fe Island
After a smooth navigation east of Santa Cruz Island, the second largest in the Galapagos, we arrived at South Plaza in the center of the archipelago. It was a lovely morning, and we boarded Zodiacs to start our day early. We enjoyed an amazing pre-breakfast outing along the cliff sides of the islet, where we observed seabirds nesting and resting on the rocks. We visited the home of one of the most emblematic creatures of the archipelago, the Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus). We found several of the yellowish-gold reptiles in a visitors’ site. The Galapagos National Park has put a lot of effort into conserving the area. After breakfast, we enjoyed a relaxing morning. We handed out snorkeling gear and participated in stretching classes and photography classes. Later in the afternoon, we headed to Santa Fe Island for deep water snorkeling. We enjoyed the deep blue with playful sea lions and Pacific green sea turtles. Some guests had a remarkable time kayaking along the cliffs to admire the island’s amazing marine wildlife. After that, our guests had a pleasurable time walking and observing dozens of very curious sea lions in a breeding colony at the beach. We hiked deep into the island and found Santa Fe land iguanas in the area. It was another special experience in paradise!