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Day 7 brings us to two islands that offer different experiences  Plaza Sur Island is formed by an uprising of the sea bed rather than volcanic eruption.  There is actually another island nearby called Plaza Norte which was formed at the same time, but visitors are only allowed on Plaza Sur Island.

Plaza Sur has a unique sesuvium and opuntia landscape which provides some of the most interesting wildlife observation available in the Galapagos. Visiting South Plaza begins with a dry landing. The rocky trail circumnavigates the island displaying the combination of dry and coastal vegetation zone.

Plaza Sur has one of the largest populations of Land Iguanas in the Galapagos. The Iguanas seem to be everywhere once you land. Also a large colony of noisy sea lions, numbering about 1,000 bulls, cows and pups, has its prime habitat on these smooth rocks. The small cactus forest is populated by land iguanas, which can be seen sunning themselves or feeding on opuntia pads and fruits.  Swallow-tailed gulls, which nest on the rugged southern cliffs, are usually seen, along with tropicbirds and Audubon´s shearwaters. During the rainy season you can see the red sesuvium turn bright green and the leafless evening-blooming portulaca bursts into large yellow flowers, which are loved by the iguanas.  This description is adapted from Latin Discover website.

During lunch we motored over to nearby Santa Fe Island where we had a wet landing.  The main attraction here is some of the tallest opuntia cacti in the islands, and a large colony of Santa Fe land iguanas.  At the north east corner of Santa Fe is Barrington Bay where we enjoy a beautiful beach while observing the wildlife.