Today was our last full day in the Galapagos. We began our day with an optional early wake up call to explore Espumilla for photography; on this calm outing we saw blue-footed boobies, brown pelicans, and green Pacific turtles mating in the water. We took this opportunity to use our gear with different settings and tried some iPhone photography techniques. We continued our walk over the mile-long sandy beach and back, where we observed many Galapagos hawks — the top predator in the islands. Back on board, we enjoyed breakfast as our Captain repositioned the ship to our next visitor site: Buccaneer Cove.
The morning was very active with waves for our snorkelers. Some guests kayaked and others went paddleboarding. Here, the geological formations are impressive, such as the world-famous “praying monk” that captured our attention. In addition, we had a few rounds of outings on our glass-bottom boat, a fabulous vehicle that gave us a clear view of the fish and sharks below.
Soon after, we visited Puerto Egas, where we had a good wet landing on a black sandy beach for ourselves to enjoy. We walked along the shore and intertidal pools of Santiago with groups of marine iguanas, sea lions, shorebirds, and Galapagos fur seals. Today with the high tide and new moon, this site became even more impressive with the combination of landscape, waves, breeze, and unique wildlife.
Our expedition has reached its peak and now it is time for us to go. This week, we experienced a wonderful feeling of coexistence and respect for one another, like a close family influenced by the Galapagos wildlife.
