South Plaza & Santa Fe Islands

We started the day with a 1/2 mile exploration of the circuit trail around South Plaza. It was beautiful and other worldly!😍 Red succulants carpet the ground and prickly pear trees are everywhere. This is the home of the endemic (unique) Galapagos Land Iguana and we had the opportunity to watch one eating a prickly pear fruit. The cliffs around the island were beautiful and we saw a plethora of Swallow-tailed gulls, pelicans, and frigate birds soaring. We even saw some chicks. It was an incredible walk and a photographer's paradise!
Addey hiked with her new friend Iago (from Mexico and her dance partner from last night).
We came back to the ship and anyone so inclined had an opportunity to jump into the ocean from the boat. I got great pictures of my family jumping off and they loved it (though the water was only 69 degrees! 🥶).
Afterward, there was a lecture on humans and the Galapagos. It was decent. Even Jace came to the lecture. Then we had an Andean lunch buffet.
The boat switched islands after lunch which was quite rocky. Both Jace and I felt a little nauseated 🤢, so we took a Zofran and a nap! It helped (as did anchoring near our next stop - Santa Fe Island).
We took a zodiac into the bay and saw sea turtles, a group of manta rays, and the ever present (but not less intriguing) sea lions. We took a short hike around the rocky trail and saw several endemic Santa Fe land iguanas. Aside from tons of sea lions at the beaches that flanked each end of the trail, and more mockingbirds and finches, there was little else to see.
We came back to the boat for cocktail hour and dinner and then to bed. Happy 4th of July!!Read more