Santa Cruz is the second biggest island in Galapagos, and it contains the most populated town. We visited the tortoise breeding center to learn about the daily efforts to restore the dynasty of these incredible reptiles. Our guests had time to explore the town, and to experience more local culture of the people in Galapagos. In the afternoon, we had the incredible experience of encountering giant tortoises in the wild. To finish the day’s adventures we visited the scalesia forest, where thousands of finches live. Our last full day of exploration ended with a great farewell cocktail, offered by our Captain and the crew of National Geographic Delfina. It was a great finale for an astonishing week.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 23 May 2025
Santa Cruz Island, 5/23/2025, National Geographic Delfina
- Aboard the National Geographic Delfina
- Galápagos
Christian Saa, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Christian was born on the island of Isabela in the Galápagos archipelago. He grew up on a farm and had a magical childhood devoid of cars, electricity, telephones—just pure nature and playful sea lions along the beach. At the age of seven, he moved w...
Read MoreShare Report
Galápagos by Catamaran: An Intimate Voyage
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
5/27/2025
Read
National Geographic Delfina
Floreana Island
We started the morning with kayaking at Floreana; this island is in the south-central area of the archipelago, and was the first island in Galapagos to be populated. We visited Post Office Bay, where we checked out the postcards from the famed first mail system in all of the Americas: the post office barrel. Afterward we also explored the amazing lava tunnel of the pirates. After lunch we relocated the ship to our next destination, Champion Islet, for some astounding snorkeling. Later we visited Punta Cormorant, where we found flamingos, many blue-footed boobies, and hundreds of nests of Pacific green sea turtles. Today we visited an island like no other; what an amazing adventure in paradise!
5/26/2025
Read
National Geographic Delfina
Española Island
The morning started with our guests going out to kayak and paddleboard along the shoreline of Gardner Bay. Then we explored a beach that has a big colony of sea lions; it was an incredible experience to sit on the beach close to them. Later we snorkeled around Gardner Islet; as soon as we jumped into the ocean, we saw amazing marine wildlife, including sharks, rays, marine turtles, and a great variety of multicolored fish. Toward the end we had a big surprise — a pod of about 100 bottlenose dolphins arrived and swam all around us. What a unique and memorable moment! An event that happens once in a blue moon. The afternoon was magical too, as we walked among marine iguanas, lizards, crabs, mockingbirds, and the majestic waved albatrosses. The journey was outstanding, unique, amazing, unforgettable — and it is just the beginning of our week exploring these Enchanted Islands.