Today we started our day at the northwest end of Santa Cruz Island, at a visitor site of the national park known as Cerro Dragon, named after the Galapagos land iguanas. Before breakfast, we disembarked on a rocky coast that took us to a trail by the coast. The morning was spectacular for our hike, with blue skies and a blazing sun. On the coast we spotted several marine iguanas basking on the green carpet mat plant, creating perfect photo opportunities. Further along, we walked by a brackish lagoon that took us into the land iguanas territory. With the help of our young explorers, we spotted many land iguanas. After learning about the ecology and biology of these endemic reptiles, we continued our climb up the hill. From the top we had an amazing view of Santiago Island and a group of small satellites islets known as Guy Fawkes, named after a British rebel who attempted to blow up the House of Lords in the 1600s.
Later in the morning, we had two optional activities. Snorkeling excursions, both shallow and deep water options, were offered to our guests. The conditions were excellent for snorkeling, with calm waters and good visibility. We spotted many different species of colorful reef fish such as parrots, damsels, surgeons, and creoles fish. Sea lions were also part of the experience, and even a huge manta ray appeared from the deep surrounding waters. It was a very successful outing.
After our Ecuadorian lunch in the afternoon, we continued our day with a very interesting talk about the human history of the Galapagos Islands, given by Aura Banda Cruz, a naturalist onboard who is a descendant of the first Ecuadorian family that settled on the archipelago. Later in the afternoon, we did a circumnavigation around one of the most famous islets; Daphne Mayor. Several British scientists have been studying Darwin finches here for over 40 years, investigating something that Darwin never was able to measure—the changes in the sizes of the beak of the finches affected by the environmental conditions of each year. What a great way to finish another memorable day in this magical place.
