Today we started our day on the western side of Santiago Island. After an early wake up call, we landed at Espumilla Beach. This is a place covered with an interesting mix of volcanic ashes and tiny pieces of olivine where we spotted tracks made by sea turtle and holes made by ghost crabs. We continued through an area covered by huge Palo Santos trees giving an incense fragrance to the fresh morning air. A couple of Galapagos hawks and mockingbirds were spotted, then we went back to the beach and back on the National Geographic Islander.
Later on yet still in the morning we visited Buccaneer Cove. Here we had different activities such as Zodiac cruises, to enjoy the impressive landscape of the place, and snorkeling. On the snorkeling we spotted surgeons fish, king angel fish, Moorish idols, parrot fish, snappers, grunts, Galapagos sea lions, white tipped reef sharks, sting rays, and many others species of reef fishes. The water visibility was over 50 feet and water temperature around 74 F, what a great combination!
In the afternoon we landed on the black volcanic sandy beach for a hike along the coast of James, Santiago Island. Here we had the chance to walk along the coast where we found some interesting lava formations known as grottos, with fur seals and sea lions laying on them, different species of shore birds as semi palmate plover, sanderlings, ruddy turnstones, lots of marine iguanas, American oyster catchers, and much more. After witnessing an incredible sunset we headed back to the National Geographic Islander.
