San Cristobal Island, 4/26/2024, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
On our last full day, we still had two amazing visitor sites to explore. An impressive fact is that some species are endemic only to San Cristobal, and we anticipate encountering them today.
The degree of endemism in this archipelago is extraordinary. It seems like most of the plants and animals exist only in this lost paradise.
Walter was born in a very small town on the mainland of Ecuador. His first trip to the Galápagos was when he was 12 years old, visiting friends and aunt, who had moved to the islands. From the first moment he saw the Islands, he fell in love with the...
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Our expedition started today with one of the most important visits of the week. We visited the Charles Darwin Station, and we learned about some of the projects that they are running these days to support the ecology, flora, and fauna of the islands. One of the most famous projects is the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. Here is where the baby giant tortoises are born in captivity and after 5-7 years at the center, they are repatriated to their home island. With the right support, we are trying to recover the population of those species in the Galapagos Islands. Some guests decided to donate and support those projects, and in return, as a present for their donation, they chose an item like a hat, t-shirt, jacket, water bottle, or a book. We felt that it was a win-win situation.
This is an incredible island with its natural history and a deeply seated human history. Floreana was the choice for many visitors due to its fresh water source and giant tortoises that were used as a food source from the 18th century on. We visited Cormorant Point early in the morning and witnessed Galapagos sea lions playing on the beach and American flamingos in a brackish pond actively feeding. These are two beaches with a drastic contrast of volcanic sand with olivine crystals and an organic white coralline beach. Blue-footed boobies were feeding along the coast and tending to their active nests. Mid-morning allows a snorkel along a satellite island, Champion Islet. Young Galapagos sea lions play with all, and as we finish our dip, a humpback whale with her young calve passes close to our Zodiacs with a breach that leaves us in awe. The afternoon brings us to Post Office Bay and the oldest postal system in the Americas as we all sort through the mail and leave correspondences to be delivered through this honor system. Kayakers explored the coast as the sun peaked through this season’s low-lying clouds.
We had an amazing first full day of exploration on the islands. During the morning, we explored the fantastic underwater world of the Galapagos, and it was amazing. We spent the afternoon on the lookout for the stunning waved albatross. We observed so much unique wildlife as we hiked this impressive island. Today was just the start of our extraordinary adventure in the Galapagos Islands!
