Dragon Hill, Santa Cruz Island & Guy Fawkes, Sombrero Chino Island
The morning was cloudy and cool, and the lowest tide of the year was awaiting us at the disembarkation point. We could almost walk from the National Geographic Polaris directly onto land! Our visiting site was located at the northwestern coast of Santa Cruz, the richest place for land iguanas on the island.
We took a short and deeper version of the hike. Our group had the opportunity to learn about the different sources of material forming the organic beach of Dragon Hill. A number of species very well defined by their shells and other leftovers of their former life under the water, now summed up a beautiful white shore. The lagoon formed by the accumulation of such sand in a serious dune was rich in sulfur bacteria. Lots of Opuntia cactus reminded us of the desert nature of the Galápagos. One more time, the pink hue of the waters and mud added to the already colorful morning visit.
Snorkeling at Guy Fox was both exciting and refreshing. Galápagos white-tip reef sharks, parrot fish, sea-stars, black coral, sea sponges and big schools of cardinal fish made our snorkeling a holy adventure!
We spent the afternoon between Santiago and Sombrero Chino many of us participated in our forum on conservation, with interesting ideas and a remarkable conclusion on how exposure changes people’s mind and heart about conservation. We all agreed that children are better conservationists than adults. It is our responsibility to help them reach further in protecting what we might be destroying…
