After a day in civilization, we were once more in the Galapagos National Park, albeit on the same island as yesterday, Santa Cruz, but on the opposite side of the island. Overnight we had traveled to the far northwestern corner to visit a site known for its population of Galapagos land iguanas. In the 1970s, this population had been heavily hit by the arrival of feral dogs who had crossed the island from the inhabited region in the southeast and decimated the land iguanas in this little corner of the island. Many years later, after intense conservation efforts have eradicated the feral dogs and a captive breeding program has gotten their numbers back up to a sustainable level, we can see them in their element, as they have been for millennia.
Of course, the morning also included a bit of snorkeling and swimming – great visibility and water temperatures a decent 71 degrees Fahrenheit at Guy Fawkes Islets.
In the afternoon, the Global Explorers learned how to drive the Zodiacs – and all survived the experience, mind you! Adults explored the coastline near Eden Islet, then all together on National Geographic Endeavour II we sailed for sunset to Daphne Major Island, where so many discoveries were made about how natural selection can work quickly on an isolated population.
