We anchored in front of one of the hidden treasures of the Galapagos archipelago, South Plaza Island. This island has interesting vestigial signs of a volcanic uplifting along the coast. Due to the amount of wildlife and beautiful landscapes, South Plaza is often referred as a miniature Galapagos. Volcanic landscapes, lava flows, wildlife, birds, cacti and just everything very well concentrated within a small area.
The first impression while landing is not only the striking marine landscape, but a cacti forest that dominates the scene surrounded by a dream-like red vegetable carpet which is found all over. In this setting colorful Galapagos land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) were seen wandering around. Some land iguanas were seen today eating the abundant spiny, but juicy, cacti pads.
We walked on a flat trail that leads to a spectacular cliffside where many sea birds species were seen flying, resting and/or feeding their chicks. Galapagos shearwaters were seen swiftly skimming the ocean surface looking for food. Swallow tailed gulls were seen either flying around or taking care of their hungry offspring. Occasional frigate birds were seen gliding in the blue sky as well, in search of some small birds as prey. We could also see these pirates cleptoparasiting on boobies. Some Darwin finches, like the common cactus finches, were also seen.
After lunch we had some relaxing time onboard and then listened to a talk on the fish of the Galapagos. Soon, it was time to get ready for kayaking along Santa Fe Island. In this remote location there is striking scenery where volcanic cliffs are filled with sheer cliffs and giant prickly pear cacti. Some of us opted to go snorkeling and they had a blast as waters were very calm today, relatively clear and many colorful reef fish species were seen, including some rays and sea lions.
After the water activities we put on our walking outfits to explore Santa Fe Island on foot. The landing beach is home to a cheerful Galapagos sea lion colony. The rocky inland trail led us to encounter a couple of pale brownish green land iguanas, the famous Santa Fe land iguana (conolophus pallidus). This pale species of iguanas are only found on this small island, nowhere else in the Galapagos, nowhere else on the whole planet!
After a great day we returned all aboard on the National Geographic Islander!
