We set out for Cerro Dragon, or Dragon Hill, right after breakfast in search of land iguanas. This was one of the more beautiful places we visited, which is saying a lot considering everything we saw was pretty amazing and beautiful. We landed near a sandy beach with crystal clear blue water contrasted by black lava rocks and a volcano in the background.
Pretty beach and crystal clear water
Moving inland, we walked through a forest of giant prickly pear cactuses. The color of the cactuses against the blue water and blue sky was just stunning.
Giant prickly pear cactuses
We saw lots of different birds hopping about and playing in whatever little water there was during this dry season. While I couldn’t tell the difference between finches and mockingbirds, the one bird that stood out most was the yellow warbler, a tiny bird with bright yellow coloring.
Tiny yellow warbler
Throughout our walk, we would catch glimpses of land iguanas in the distance or hiding under trees. However, our hike was halted when we came upon the most incredible sight – IGUANA FIGHT!
Land iguanas viciously fighting over territory
These two land iguanas were really going at it, right in the middle of the trail path. All of the groups from our ship ended up converging at this point and we were totally mesmerized by the fight. It was pretty brutal, as each tried to bite the either on the tail, leg, or neck. Whenever one got hold, he would shake the other violently. We could hear the loud CHOMP as they bit into skin, and both iguanas were bleeding from bite wounds. We stood there watching for about 20 minutes before we had to leave to finish the hike, and they were still going at it after we left. To see video footage of this incredible fight, go here to the daily expedition report on the Lindblad Expeditions website.
We returned to the ship, quickly donned our snorkeling gear, and headed straight back out on a zodiac to do some deep water snorkeling at Guy Fawkes. We saw lots of colorful little fish but the walls of the rock underwater was the real highlight. It was a mix of bright reds and oranges and greens, and there were fish darting in and out little crevices. We just floated next to the wall and observed this amazing underwater world.
Colorful underwater universe
After lunch we had another round of snorkeling near Sombrero Chino in a bay surrounded by craggly rocks. It was here that we had our first up close view of Galapagos penguins. They were just sitting calmly on the rocks, and occasionally one would jump off and dart through the water. It was kind of mind blowing to know that a place on the Equator, where it’s hot and there are sandy beaches and flamingos, also has penguins.
Galapagos penguin just chillin' on the rocks
We also saw our very first shark on this snorkeling trip! It was a shock to see it swimming past us underwater, but then we got over the shock and tried to follow it to get some pictures. It was way too fast though and soon went out of our view. We didn’t see any white tips on the fins though, so it might have been a Galapagos shark but we’re not exactly sure.
Not a shark but still a pretty cool underwater pic
After snorkeling we immediately did some kayaking, as it was the last day to do so. We were kayaking in the same bay where we had been snorkeling and were able to get really close to the rock where all the penguins were sitting.
Penguins just hanging out in the sun
We circled the bay, getting a good view of the “Chinese Hat” and scoping out a bull sea lion barking at one end. We were much more successful in navigating the kayaks this time around and it was relaxing yet still a good workout.
Does it look like a Chinese Hat?
After a jam-packed day, we ended it with a delicious bbq dinner on the pool deck. It was cool and breezy and the perfect night to dine alfresco. Too bad it was cloudy that night so we didn’t get a good view of the stars but it was a nice evening nevertheless.
Breakfast:
Scrambled eggs, croissant, potato pancake w/applesauce, smoked salmon with tomato, brown bread, and cream cheese
Lunch:
Butternut squash and ginger soup
Paella with seafood and meat, french bread, crab salad with quinoa, pasta salad, ham and cheese tart
Pistachio and strawberry ice cream with a chocolate chip cookie and whipped cream
Dinner:
BBQ ribs, BBQ chicken, fish kebabs, garlic bread, fried green plantains, sausage, baked potato, cole slaw
Festival of flan - caramel, chocolate, and soursop
Lemon meringue pie