Guests onboard the National Geographic Endeavour II spent the day exploring Santa Cruz Island and Eden Islet. We began the day with a hike to Dragon Hill, where guests encountered Galapagos land iguanas in the wild for the first time. We discussed the evolutionary history of the specie, as well as their coexistence with their neighbors - the Galapagos marine iguana. There were sandpipers and Galapagos white-cheeked pintail ducks in the brackish lagoon at the start of the trail. The view from the top of the hill was the perfect backdrop for family photos. We admired diving blue-footed boobies and a great blue heron at the end of our walk.
After our hike, we deployed the Zodiacs to visit Guy Fawkes, a premier snorkel site in the Galapagos archipelago. Guests observed massive schools of razor surgeonfish, scissortail chromis, bumphead parrotfish, and even a couple of shark species. The rock walls were teeming with life: barnacle blennies, cup corals, giant diodema sea urchins and more. After snorkeling, a special Ecuadorian lunch was served. Guests learned about Ecuadorian cuisine from all of the four regions of the country.
In the afternoon, guests explored the coastline of Eden on a Zodiac cruise. Juvenile black-tipped reef sharks and pufferfish were observed within the shallow mangrove forest area. Blue-footed and Nazca boobies were perched along the perimeter of this massive tuff cone. Young explorers received Zodiac driving lessons in the area. Guests enjoyed wine tasting while circumnavigating Daphne Major during sunset.
