Santiago Island
Today we spent the entire day at the island of Santiago; early morning we landed on the dark chocolate-colored sand of Espumilla Beach for a pre-breakfast walk.
As we landed on this unique colored sand we could see a forest of bottom mangroves that protect the sand dunes and at the same time give shelter to the hundreds of nests of green sea turtles. The early morning sun gave this forest a striking touch, and as we walked inland we could smell the fresh vegetation and feel the morning dew start to evaporate.
As we walked in one of the oldest forests of palo santo trees, the tallest trees that we have seen so far in our expedition, the finches and mockingbirds were busy singing and looking for food, but a curious juvenile Galápagos hawk had time to pose for us.
After the National Geographic Endeavour repositioned, those of us who went kayaking along the cliffs of Buccaneers Cove felt the magnificence of this cliff home of brown noddy terns and swallow-tail gulls. The snorkeling was also magnificent with schools of yellowtail surgeonfish and king angels and some white-tip sharks that enlightened the morning.
Our afternoon destination, Puerto Egas, was another magical place that took us back in time; the tidal pools offer protection for the sea lion pups that play innocently in them, waiting for mama to come back and feed them. The marine iguanas basking along this coast share their habitat with migratory birds and the endemic fur seals which like the rocky areas better than a soft white beach. It is incredible how close one can get to these creatures and how still some of them stay while we photograph them.
Walking inland was another story; we were looking for the mockingbirds that sing all along the trail, the finches, Galápagos flycatchers and doves that hop all over the area, eluding us photographers who desperately wished they would sit still for a photograph. As we walked, the rain came and went all along the trail.
Most of the young explorers, on the other hand, enjoyed an exciting snorkel with white-tip sharks, golden eagle rays, a lonely manta and hundreds of different fish along the black beach and coastline of Puerto Egas.
Now we wait to see what wonders these magical islands will bring in our next adventure.
