South Plaza and Santa Fe Islands, 11/14/2024, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today we explored South Plaza and Santa Fe Islands, both in the central part of the archipelago. Marine iguanas were one of the main characters of the day, although sea lions and Galapagos hawks displayed some great moments for photography. I believe today is going to be one of the most memorable days of this trip, as the wildlife and the weather today were on point.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
Genovesa Island is in the northeast of the Galapagos archipelago. It is also known as Tower or Sea Bird Island due to large colonies of various seabirds. The island is horseshoe-shaped due to the collapse of the southern wall of its caldera. The island has an area of 14 square kilometers with a maximum altitude of 76 meters. Genovesa Island has two visitor sites: Darwin Bay, which has a unique beach of broken coral fragments, and El Barranco. In both places, guests can observe swallow-tailed gulls (the only gulls that feed at night), red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, pelicans, Galapagos sea lions, and red-billed tropicbirds. Along the cliffs, guests can spot a colony of great frigatebirds, small-eared owls, Galapagos mockingbirds, Galapagos doves, herons, storm petrels, iconic Darwin's finches, and more.
It all started with an invigorating early morning kayak excursion during which we spotted the breathtaking landscape of Sombrero Chino, part of the Bainbridge Islets off Santiago Island. Herons, sea lions, and penguins greeted us. Afterwards, we went snorkeling on the Santiago side in front of Sombrero Chino, which did not disappoint. A large school of endemic black-striped salema gathered stealthily in the shallows while penguins and pelicans loomed in the vicinity. After a short motoring, National Geographic Islander II dropped anchor nearby at Sullivan Bay where we snorkeled again. This was our last chance to meet penguins, and the little birds showed up, along with a small sea turtle and thousands of fish. To complete our visit, we hiked the lava field at Sullivan Bay. The pahoehoe lava patterns are amazing, and luckily, we can photograph them as a souvenir of their beauty.
Genovesa Island is a sensory delight. In the morning, we spent time on a sandy trail at Darwin Bay, where the absolute best of the Galapagos can be seen. This time of year – April – is extra spectacular with nesting red-footed boobies, great frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls with chicks, lava gulls, and sea lions with pups. Snorkeling was our last chance to see the underwater realm of the Galapagos before flying back to civilization tomorrow. Calm waters off the beach allowed for long minutes without human sounds. We were successful in finding a short-eared owl. The owls hunt during the day, adapting to their prey’s diurnal habits. This island is…extraordinary in an already extraordinary place.
