National Geographic Endeavour II rounded the north of Isabela to reach Fernandina, the westernmost and youngest island of the Galapagos. As the ship navigated, we woke up to see the majestic shield volcanoes of the islands all around us. These waters are very rich with an array of life. A pod of common dolphins was spotted in the distance. On land, we encountered large colonies of marine iguanas, sea lions, lava lizards, crabs, turtles, and various seabirds, including cormorants, blue-footed boobies, and penguins. While snorkeling, we spotted green sea turtles and marine iguanas feeding on algae beneath the waves. In the afternoon, we explored Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela by Zodiac. We encountered more wildlife, including Galapagos fur seals and lots of sea turtles, flightless cormorants, and Galapagos penguins. We celebrated as we crossed the equator, ending a wonderful expedition day.
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.
