Waking up in the middle of a caldera is not something you do every day, The ¾ moon island shape is very special, so kayaking in the morning was a great way to preview the cliffs of Genovesa Island.
Our wet landing was full of surprises. Thinking you’ve seen everything on Galapagos, we witnessed an amazing explosion of birds, approximately two hundred thousand share the island. Our first red footed boobies come in sight, perching on mangroves, different from the Blue and Nasca boobies that rest and nest on the ground. A few fluffy chicks gave us the cutest looks, male frigate birds with their red pouches inflated displayed noisy courtship rituals to females in flight. At Darwin Bay we shot many pictures, which is no surprise as it has so much to encounter.
Later we went snorkeling. The water was warm and new species were seen such as Moorish idols, Pacific boxfish, and more. From the water and on the rocks we admired fur seals while overhead were many birds. It was a wonderful morning in one of the most pristine islands of Galapagos.
After a wonderful lunch we continued to Prince Philips steps to view an icon of the island, the short eared owl. The reason why they are different here is because they hunt during the day for petrels along the cliffs of Genovesa.
We finished our exploration onboard the National Geographic Islander with a stunning sunset in one of the most beautiful, pristine, tame places on earth.
