Reptiles have successfully colonized the enchanted islands, some bigger than others. One of these reptiles has three species within the islands, such as the case of the land iguanas. One species is located only on Santa Fe Island, the other lives on six different islands, and the recently discovered pink land iguana only on one volcano within Isabela Island. Every one of them found its niche and had to adapt to their home island.
You only understand adaptation, this mystery of mysteries, when you get here to Galapagos, simply because nothing can really prepare you for this astonishing experience in this part of the world.
South Plaza and Santa Fe Islands are very small geological formations, but each one of them has a lot to offer for our guests and that is the reason we spend the whole day exploring these two Islands.
After the hike on South Plaza, we had a talk about the human history of the Galapagos to help us understand a bit more about the first humans inhabiting the islands. We discussed the transformation of a place that once was seen just as a haven for tortoises, but eventually became a national park and one of the best natural laboratories of evolution.
After lunch we visited Santa Fe Island, where some guests went snorkeling, and others went kayaking. This was one of the most outstanding kayaking experiences we have had in the Galapagos, since we were accompanied by three humpback whales breaching just a few feet away from our kayaks. It was a magical experience.
The Galapagos marine world is another world within itself. Some of these species are found only here and nowhere else too, but what’s responsible for this are the three main oceanic currents that bath Galapagos at different times of the year. For sure the main entertainers here are the Galapagos sea lions, and today was no exception. We went swimming with them, and also spotted two species of sea turtles. We saw Pacific green sea turtles, the most common ones, and also spotted a hawksbill turtle, which is less common in Galapagos waters. We also spotted sharks, eels, rays, and many other species of fish in just one day.
We later hiked on Santa Fe, and saw plenty of the endemic land iguanas, some cactus finches, and also a huge colony of Galapagos sea lions that seem to be pretty active at sunset time.
