Early in the morning, we made a wet landing on a gray sand beach full of Pacific green sea turtle nests. We walked farther into the forest on the lookout for giant tortoises and land iguanas. A few feet along the trail, we encountered several giant tortoises. Some cooled off in rainwater ponds while others fed on the fruits of the poison apple tree.
Several giant tortoises were spotted along the trail as well as a few Galapagos land iguanas. This visitor site is the result of an uplifting of the land mass in 1954. The bottom of the ocean rose in a matter of minutes due to tectonic activity. A quick secondary succession took place here, and what was once an underwater ecosystem is now a natural habitat for giant tortoises, land iguanas, several species of land birds, and a large variety of endemic and native plants. It is a fascinating place!
Today’s visit was spectacular. We spotted several giant tortoises and land iguanas. Once we returned to our landing spot, we had an opportunity to swim with Galapagos penguins and sea turtles.
During the afternoon expedition, we went kayaking along the coast of a visitors’ site known as Tagus Cove. Navigators once anchored in this historic place to search for giant tortoises for food. They spent a few days regrouping in the calm, protected bay. While some of us went kayaking, others went deep water snorkeling with sea turtles, penguins, and a large variety of fish.
