Santa Cruz Island have witnessed a long history of conservation. Today we learned about the progress done on this matter as well as the challenges that remain. The name of this visiting site “Dragon Hill” is because this place is one of the largest colonies of land iguanas in Santa Cruz. When we see these amazing land iguanas, we are witnessing the results of one of the longest running conservation programs carried on by the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Station in the Galapagos. We combined our land expedition with a combination of snorkeling and kayaking around the inspiring landscape of northern Santa Cruz.
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.
