Our South Pacific trips are packed with thrilling experiences—some carefully planned; others, discovered. Below are just some of our favorites as described by guests and staff.
Close-up shark encounters in their natural habitat is a thrill that relatively few people experience and even fewer forget. Here's where and how to see them.
I was lucky to meet Lars-Eric Lindblad back in 1977; he immediately hired me to be a naturalist, lecturer, boat handler, and guide aboard his famous ship Lindblad Explorer, otherwise known as the “Little Red Ship.” This was the original Expedition Passenger Vessel, a designation made up by the U. S. Coast Guard by necessity in order to categorize this exceptional ship. Lindblad has been in the business of conducting expeditions, ever since. And now, under Sven Lindblad’s guidance, a fleet of 13 ships has replaced the original "Little Red Ship".
Tattoos are so ubiquitous around the world these days, it’s easy to barely even notice them at all. But there’s one place where the tattoos are so distinctive and artful they stand out from the inking seen anywhere else. That place is the remote and rugged Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia.
The Marquesas Islands are one of the few places where divers and snorkelers can see both the oceanic and reef species of manta rays. Their unique spot patterns can serve as data points to track the manta ray populations in this region.
Our magical day started bright and early with a stunning sunrise and a view of the majestic mountains of Bora Bora. Some of us woke up early and were lucky to practice some traditional dancing at our morning’s session of “Ura with Kura.” This was followed by a delicious breakfast and then a presentation about coral from Undersea Specialist Taylor Simpkins. Then a real surprise, a pop-up pearl shop on the back deck where we had the chance to do some shopping from a beautiful selection of local Tahitian black pearls. We set off for our adventure, which included snorkeling amongst all kinds of tropical fish in the coral garden, as well as an amazing visit to a local motu that was absolute paradise. We even had the kayaks and standup paddleboards available. But wait there was more! We also had an incredible BBQ put on by our amazing galley team. While some enjoyed a refreshing swim in the cerulean blue waters, others listened to music performed by local musicians while relaxing in the shade of a palm tree. Today National Geographic Orion was truly in a tropical paradise. What a perfect day!
Guests aboard National Geographic Venture enjoyed an exciting day on the Baja Peninsula at a little cove called Agua Verde. We had a full morning and a relaxing afternoon exploring history, mountains, and local taco stands.
Today, National Geographic Islander II explored three spectacular islands at the westernmost end of the archipelago. Before sunrise we circumnavigated Roca Redonda Island, an impressive underwater volcano and a haven for hundreds of seabirds. Later in the morning we crossed the equator from north to south to reach the southern flank of Ecuador Volcano, our morning's destination. Guests were offered Zodiac rides to closely explore the volcanic shores of this enchanting location. In the afternoon we went snorkeling and also launched the glass-bottom Zodiac. Our guests were thrilled to swim alongside numerous turtles, sea lions, and even Galapagos penguins. After returning to the ship, we set off for a wonderful walk along the shores of Fernandina. It was a magical time of day, strolling among hundreds of marine iguanas, several groups of sea lions, and we even spotted a penguin resting on the shore.
We are having fun exploring the Galapagos Islands. Today we arrived at the center of the archipelago to explore two magical visitor sites, Buccaneer Cove and Puerto Egas. Early in the morning we explored the shoreline in our Zodiacs and we saw many marine turtles mating and blue-footed boobies diving or resting on the rocks. We also saw frigates, pelicans, terns, and more. After breakfast some of our guests went kayaking for a closer encounter with nature. The snorkeling was also spectacular. We saw three different types of sharks, including a hammerhead. We found a school of eagle rays, a wide variety of multicolor reef fish, and a zebra moray. In the afternoon we explored the coastal line of Puerto Egas. This destination is full of wildlife and along our walk we saw red neck lava lizards, finches, land iguanas, mockingbirds, and hawks. At the intertidal zone we found sea lions, and many migratory birds such as plovers, whimbrels, and ruddy turnstones. We had an amazing day!
Continuing with mythical and epic places, we made it to the end of our trip with a few days to explore glorious Staten Island. Made famous by its treacherous waters, furious winds, hundreds of wrecks during the 1800’s, and the famous Jules Verne novel, ‘The Lighthouse at the End of the World’, it is by nature one of the wildest places in the world. We experienced that with changes in weather that went from 50 knot winds with heavy sleet, to a sunny calm day minutes afterwards.