National Geographic Endeavour II arrived at Puerto Ayora — one of the most important sites of our expedition. Today we experienced culture and nature at the same time. We visited the Charles Darwin Foundation, where we learned about different conservation projects being run on the island. Then we had several options available for the next portion of our day. Some of our guests visited the Tomas de Berlanga School, where bilingual students guided them around. Other guests visited the Rancho Ochoa; here we learned how to produce lettuce by hydroponic techniques, saving a lot of water and providing high-quality vegetables for our tables. Finally, some guests visited the Trapiche, a farm where the owners demonstrated the traditional way to make sugar, coffee, chocolate, and moonshine! What a fun day we had! We cannot wait to keep exploring this paradise.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 03 Aug 2023
Santa Cruz Island, 8/3/2023, National Geographic Endeavour II
- Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II
- Galápagos
Ixora Berdonces, Naturalist
Ixora was born in the Galapagos Islands, back when the streets were made of sand and gravel. Void of TV and tablets, her childhood friends and pristine natural surroundings made for an inspiring upbringing. She was always drawn to the ocean and her l...
Read MoreShare Report
Exploring Galápagos
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
4/27/2025
Read
National Geographic Gemini
Rabida and Santiago Islands
Today we had the wonderful opportunity to explore two islands in the central region of Galapagos. During the morning, we explored Rabida Island and, in the afternoon, Santiago Island. Rabida Island is the red island, and we had our kayaks deployed to look for wildlife and we marveled at the landscape. This morning, some of our guests had the chance to walk along the coast, and they encountered a flamboyant of flamingoes feeding on brine shrimp by the lagoon. After breakfast we went snorkeling from the red sand beach of Rabida where we encountered sharks, fish of several species, and some Galapagos marine iguanas warming up under the sun. This afternoon, we walked along the trail of Puerto Egas and enjoyed the nice breeze and the color of the sky at the end of the day.
4/25/2025
Read
National Geographic Gemini
Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez, Hood Island
Today we explored one of the oldest islands in the archipelago, Hood Island. We began before breakfast with a wet landing at Gardner Bay and spent time observing Galapagos sea lions, and the light was great for photography. After breakfast, we returned to Gardner Bay to swim and snorkel from the shore and along the coast of Gardner Islet. We had a great final snorkeling outing and found several juvenile Galapagos sea lions, fish of many different species, as well as sea stars, sea urchins, and coral. This afternoon, we hiked along the trail of Punta Suarez and had an incredible time observing one of the largest birds in the archipelago, the beautiful Galapagos waved albatross. There were also blue-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies all along the path.