We are in the central part of the archipelago; our destination for today is Santiago Island. This island is among the largest of the Galápagos. It has many volcanoes, forests, beautiful beaches and an amazing collection of wildlife.
In the morning before breakfast we went ashore at Espumilla Beach. The abundant soft brown sand and the mangrove forest are just perfect nesting sites for Pacific green sea turtles. Right now you can see a lot of nests, many of them still have eggs from the last breeding season. Pacific green sea turtles will continue to come in order to nest. This is nearly the end of the year and it is about time for the massive arrival of sea turtles for breeding.
In the mid-morning, after breakfast, we were ready for more activities. This time we explored the marine realm at Buccaneer’s Cove. Some guests went deep water snorkeling, while others ventured out in Zodiacs.
In the afternoon we moved the National Geographic Islander to Puerto Egas. Shortly afterwards we headed to the shore for a hike and to snorkel. This hike along the tidal area was amazing. It is dotted with large groups of marine iguanas, colonies of sea lions and plenty of shore birds.
From the beach we explored the surroundings: the marine ecosystem, the black sand beach, the sea lions moving all around us unphased by our presence. This outing was great as it allowed us to experience the real spirit of the sea shore and the ocean. We spotted sea turtles swimming, sea lions fishing and sea birds diving. The best part was witnessing a sea lion hunting, capturing and eating a large tuna fish!
