Today we visited the National Park side of Santa Cruz Island, one of the only islands in the archipelago that is inhabited. Out of the total Galapagos landmass, three percent of the land has been assigned to humans, while the other 97% is all National Park. This morning we landed on Dragon Hill, where we looked for yellow land iguanas, the stars of the show today. We went on a wonderful hike where we experienced close encounters with land iguanas, and lots of action due to territorialism. As we walked along this untouched trail, it was amazing to think that we were walking on an island that is inhabited by humans, yet so well-protected. After the wonderful walk on Dragon Hill, we headed to the ocean for some snorkeling, where we spotted sea lions, sea turtles, and many different species of fish. The rest of the day was spent navigating around Daphne Major and Minor islands, ending with a beautiful sunset and some wine tasting. Another magical day in the Enchanted Islands!
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.
