Santa Fé Island

After lunch, we drop anchor off the island of Santa Fé, located to the south of Plaza and east of Santa Cruz, where several activities are offered. First in the afternoon, we go deep-water snorkeling along the coast of the island. After returning to the National Geographic Islander II, we change clothes and set off on a hike.

We land barefoot on a sandy beach for the walk and are provided with foot towels to dry our feet. We follow a short trail a half mile in length over boulder terrain and through a forest of the largest prickly pear cactus trees on the islands. An endemic cactus species, they are a marvel to behold, and we also see iguanas, blue footed boobies. At one time, Santa Fé Island was over-run with goats. Since then, the eradication of feral goats and donkeys has been a priority for the preservation of the Galápagos ecosystem. Major programs for islands much larger than this have been carried out successfully in the last decade here in Galapagos. Some of these restoration programs are supported by Lindblad/National Geographic.Read more