On the last day of our journey, we encountered a “land before time” where avian wildlife has flourished. We arrived early and navigated into Darwin Bay, one of the few calderas on Earth where you can enter from the open ocean. The skies were clouded with great frigatebirds, Nazca boobies, tropicbirds, and red-footed boobies. During our exploration inland, we observed short-eared owls preying upon Elliot’s and Galapagos storm petrels as well as active nests of Nazca boobies and red-footed boobies with chicks. As the sun dipped below the horizon, swallow-tailed gulls cared for eggs and recently hatched young ones, and the ocean calmed down as we returned to our floating home, National Geographic Endeavour II.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 13 Jan 2023
Darwin Bay & Prince Philip’s Steps, Genovesa Island, 1/13/2023, National Geographic Endeavour II
- Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II
- Galápagos
Jason Heilmann, Undersea Specialist
Growing up in northern California, Jason was surrounded by the incomparable nature of the Pacific Northwest. While attending university there, Jason met and eventually married an Ecuadorian woman who happened to be from a small group of islands off t...
Read MoreShare Report
Exploring Galápagos
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
5/7/2025
Read
National Geographic Delfina
Bahía Urbina and Tagus Cove, Isabela Island
As the sun rose, we headed to Urbina Bay, a visitor site found on Isabela Island at the slopes of the marvelous Alcedo Volcano. Isabela is home to a unique morphotype of dome-shelled tortoises and arguably the most pristine island of the Galapagos. We went for a short walk, and in addition to spotting the popular giants, we also observed the evidence of an uplift event which occurred in 1954. In the afternoon, we navigated for an hour to the historical Tagus Cove, the same place where HMS Beagle once anchored. With elusive octopi, fast swimming penguins, funny looking cormorants, and breathtaking views, we finished another great day in this enchanted archipelago.
5/6/2025
Read
National Geographic Endeavour II
Isabela Island
Navigation brought us to the largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago, Isabela. Holding half of all land mass in the Galapagos, it has a diverse selection of ecosystems that we were able to visit. Urvina Bay was geologically uplifted in the 1950’s, taking two square kilometers of seafloor that was thrust upward, in certain areas up to four meters out of the water. Intertidal species were stranded inland, and we walked upon this area. Galapagos giant tortoises and land iguanas were found on our trail, and we were surrounded by Darwin finches and Galapagos mockingbirds. The afternoon brought us to Tagus Cove where we explored the surrounding waters, encountering Galapagos penguins and Pacific green sea turtles swimming among the kayakers and snorkelers. As the sun dipped below the horizon, adventurous hikers took a fast-paced hike to enjoy an incredible view of Darwin Lake and the immense island of Isabela.