Cerro Dragón & Sombrero Chino
Our ship anchored off the northwestern coast of Santa Cruz Island. As we landed at Cerro Dragon we found a great blue heron, just waking up from a good night’s sleep. White coralline sands, which made a clear contrast with the black basalts, looked like a comfortable bed for the heron. Soon the brackish water lagoon added more colors to the morning hike. Others preferred a Zodiac cruise around the off-shore islets and saw a lot of action: blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, sea lions and more.
It was difficult to find land iguanas at first, and despite protection and eradication programs, we encountered signs from cats and donkeys in the area; presumably the reason iguanas are still a bit wary in this region. Finally we found one hiding in its burrow and another under a tree. We succeeded in our quest.
As we returned to the National Geographic Polaris, our folks changed uniforms to a more watery looking-style and we left for Guy Fawkes Islands where sea lions, sea urchins, sea stars, coral, sharks and reef fish were waiting for us.
As we had our well deserved lunch the ship headed towards Sombrero Chino, an island on the eastern coast of Santiago Island. The activities there multiplied, as kayaks, snorkeling, panga riding and beach relaxing were developed. It is a perfect place to take pictures and be part of the picture… every single thing made this day a perfect one in the Galápagos Islands. Our chef was waiting for us with an excellent barbecue dinner on the back deck, under the stars!
Our ship anchored off the northwestern coast of Santa Cruz Island. As we landed at Cerro Dragon we found a great blue heron, just waking up from a good night’s sleep. White coralline sands, which made a clear contrast with the black basalts, looked like a comfortable bed for the heron. Soon the brackish water lagoon added more colors to the morning hike. Others preferred a Zodiac cruise around the off-shore islets and saw a lot of action: blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, sea lions and more.
It was difficult to find land iguanas at first, and despite protection and eradication programs, we encountered signs from cats and donkeys in the area; presumably the reason iguanas are still a bit wary in this region. Finally we found one hiding in its burrow and another under a tree. We succeeded in our quest.
As we returned to the National Geographic Polaris, our folks changed uniforms to a more watery looking-style and we left for Guy Fawkes Islands where sea lions, sea urchins, sea stars, coral, sharks and reef fish were waiting for us.
As we had our well deserved lunch the ship headed towards Sombrero Chino, an island on the eastern coast of Santiago Island. The activities there multiplied, as kayaks, snorkeling, panga riding and beach relaxing were developed. It is a perfect place to take pictures and be part of the picture… every single thing made this day a perfect one in the Galápagos Islands. Our chef was waiting for us with an excellent barbecue dinner on the back deck, under the stars!
