Very early, we started our expedition on Santiago Island, located in the heart of the Galapagos archipelago. Our visit to Espumilla Beach was invigorating, and we had the opportunity to spot land birds perched on the branches of the black mangroves. The dry season has ended, and the first rains have fallen on the mature islands, allowing us to see new sprouts of leaves in the arid vegetation. We enjoyed listening to the growls of mockingbirds during our walk on the brown sandy trail. Before returning to the ship, we spotted some Pacific green sea turtle tracks on the beach. Espumilla Beach is a nesting site for green sea turtles where they can find optimal conditions for the next generation of hatchlings.
After breakfast, we anchored in Buccaneer Cove, an eroded shoreline located on the northwestern flank of Santiago Island. We explored this scenic visitor site that was frequented by pirates in the 19th century. Some explorers decided to visit the natural caves and eroded tuff cones with kayaks and paddleboards, where they spotted brown pelicans and Nazca boobies. At the same time, other explorers preferred looking for the sea’s wildlife from aboard the glass-bottom boat or while deep-water snorkeling.
In the afternoon, we navigated to our last stop on Santiago Island, Puerto Egas. Our guests chose from two options: a nature walk on the inner paths along the coastline or snorkeling from the beach. Walking around the tidal pools or just admiring a Galapagos hawk close to the shoreline were special moments on our expedition. With a mesmerizing sunset, we ended another day on the Enchanted Islands.
