In honor of Valentine's Day, this week's photos from the field feature romantic sunrises and sunsets from Vietnam and Baja California, animal courtships in the Galápagos, and undersea heart-hands in French Polynesia.
This morning, we visited San Jose del Cabo for a morning of birding, photography, and exploring this lovely town on the southeast coast of Baja. Between the different birding groups, there were over sixty species spotted in the lush estuary on the edge of town. There was also some shopping done during the town visit, and the weather was perfect for both activities! In the afternoon, National Geographic Venture cruised north while looking for wildlife, and we were not disappointed. Humpback whales and a megapod of common dolphins entertained us until the sun was setting and cocktail/recap hour began. It was a great end to a very special day!
Our morning started with an incredible sunrise close to El Barril where we spotted our first grey whales while anchored! After breakfast, guests enjoyed kayaking and Zodiac cruises through incredible mangroves where we encountered all kinds of bird and marine life. After lunch, National Geographic Sea Bird cruised through Hull Canal, or Canal la Soledad, towards Boca de Soledad. Once we anchored, we enjoyed our first whale watching outing aboard locally captained pangas. Once all guests were back aboard, we welcomed Los Coyotes de Magdalena and Las Flores del Desierto. What a way to start our expedition!
We awoke early this morning in a famous pirate refuge, Buccaneer Cove, on Santiago Island, or as Ambrose Cowley immortalized it, King James’s Island. We explored its coastline in kayaks and later explored the underwater mysteries of Darwin´s favorite island with a snorkeling excursion. After enjoying National Geographic Islander II ´s meals and amenities, we relocated to James Bay. Today the wind conditions were favorable to explore another site of the dark colored coastlines of Santiago.
Isabela and Fernandina Islands are both volcanically active. Isabela is the largest island in the archipelago and is formed by five active shield volcanos, with Wolf Volcano being the highest point in the Galapagos. Fernandina, the youngest and most volcanically active island, last erupted in May 2024.
Today we got to see two different sites on Isabela Island, the largest island in the archipelago made up of 6 volcanoes. In the morning, we walked along the trail of Urbina Bay in the central area of Isabela, at this site we encountered several Alcedo giant tortoises as well as Galapagos land iguanas. At this time of the year tortoises are in their mating season as well as land iguanas. With all the rain, there is an abundance of vegetation which is great for these herbivores. During the afternoon, our guests had a great snorkeling outing with sea turtles and several schools of fish, and some even encountered a Galapagos penguin swimming in the area.
