Genovesa Island, Darwin’s Bay and Prince Philip’s Steps, 6/23/2017, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Today we visited the wonderful island of Genovesa, it is one of the pristine islands of the Galapagos Archipelago. In the morning we developed a wet landing on a white sand beach, and we followed a short trail, and close to it, we saw lots of sea birds such as Nazca boobies, frigate birds, swallowed tailed gulls and red footed boobies. This island has thousands of sea birds, and some of them are nesting during this them of the year. In the afternoon, we landed at Prince Philip´s steps, and on the way to the landing site, we spot several flocks of red billed tropic birds and by the shoreline fur sea lions for the very first time during this week. After looking at boobies and frigates, close to the end of the trail, we were able to see a couple of short eared owls, they were hunting storm petrels, which were flying all over the cliff in very large numbers.
After coming back from this great visit, we enjoyed of a beautiful sunset, and some delicious cocktails made by our bartenders.
Lenin was born in the capital city of Quito, where he grew up surrounded by the mountains and volcanoes of the Andean region of Ecuador. At age 17, he received a scholarship to study in Mexico, and a few years later traveled to the U.S. and finished ...
Alex was born and raised in Alabama. First living in a state park on the Tennessee River then growing up on Alabama’s white sand beaches, he has always had an affinity for nature and wildlife. Alex started his professional career while studying film ...
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Today we finished our last day in paradise on Genovesa Island, one of the most exuberant and popular islands of the Galapagos. We started the morning by walking among red-footed boobies, frigatebirds, and swallow-tailed gull colonies around Darwin Bay. To close a very productive photo expedition week, we walked Prince Philip’s Steps at sunset. This gorgeous cliff is an airstrip for tropicbirds, petrels, and boobies. Guests were delighted to put to use new photo skills to collect memories, and thousands of new images are waiting to be organized and processed…
On National Geographic Endeavour II today, we explored Bartolome, home of a small colony of Galapagos penguins. Bartolome is one of the youngest islands, and it is located next to Santiago Island in the central part of the archipelago. After an amazing sunrise, we went ashore for a walk, and we were transported back to a time when the land was newly formed. We began our day by hiking to the top of a tuff cone known as the islet of Bartolome, named after the First Officer of The Beagle . Walking on this young island allowed us to understand the formation and volcanism of the Galapagos Islands. The rocks are a great way to understand the area and its geology. We spotted a few lava lizards and painted locusts, some of the very few animals on this island. As we reached the top, we had a great view. Our guests enjoyed the magnificence of Pinnacle Rock. After we visited one of the most iconic geological formations of the Galapagos, our breakfast was enhanced by dramatic views of the impressive volcanic landscape. We visited the beach near Pinnacle Rock, where we enjoyed how the sun made the sand sparkle due to a concentration of silica. Later, we went snorkeling along the channel between Santiago and Bartolome Islands. Many of our guests spotted whitetip reef sharks and very colorful parrotfish. The landscape was beautiful with lots of sea stars. We enjoyed the chance to be surrounded by Galapagos penguins and feel accepted as part of this environment. After a delicious Mexican lunch, we had lectures on the photography of reptiles and Darwin. Afterwards, we went to Chinese Hat Islet to snorkel from the Zodiacs. The area is home to a small colony of Galapagos penguins. In a sandy-bottomed, sheltered channel, our guests enjoyed swimming with whitetip reef sharks, rays, and many fish. It was a nice and sunny afternoon. After snorkeling, we had the chance to explore the unique, small volcano that formed an island in front of Santiago on a sunset Zodiac ride. After a spectacular day full of activities in the field, we returned on board. Every day in the Galapagos is an opportunity to reconnect with the beauty of nature through unbelievable encounters!
Today, National Geographic Endeavour II visited Cerro Dragon, located on the north part of Santa Cruz Island. We found one of the largest colonies of land iguanas. During our hike, we spotted the iguanas all around the trail. Some basked on the vegetation, and others were active. We saw the zigzag head movement they use to protect their territory and impress females. An Ecuadorian buffet lunch was set up in the dining room. We started with the traditional ceviche and ended with tres leches for dessert! We enjoyed snorkeling and Zodiac rides. We observed wildlife all over the place, including spotted eagle rays, sharks, blue-footed boobies, great blue herons, marine iguanas, and hundreds of other animals. They all reminded us why the Galapagos is so special.