In this short video, Unplastify co-founder Agustina Besada shares more about her ongoing mission to inspire teens to “unplastify” their lives and their local communities.
This week's photos from the field included spectacular images of lava flows on La Cumbre, an active volcano on Fernandina Island in the Galápagos Islands.
Guests aboard National Geographic Venture witnessed a rocket launch, while National Geographic Explorer explored South Africa and National Geographic Sea Bird cruised the Columbia River.
In this episode of Expedition Spotlight, join Cultural Specialist Susan Flanagan as she reveals what discoveries are in store on our Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland expedition.
This week's photos from the field included a rare river otter sighting in Patagonia, gray whale encounters in Baja California, and a shark off the coast of South Africa.
In this Expedition Spotlight, Expedition Leader Dan Olsen reveals what makes Karukinka Natural Park so special and how we're helping to protect this awe-inspiring region.
Today's adventure whisked us away to enchanting Futuna, where tales of resilience and tradition echo through the land. Guided by experts, we journeyed back in time, tracing the footsteps of the ancient Lapita civilization. Marveling at ancient artifacts, we admired the ingenuity of past generations. Our exploration led us to the World's Last Cannibal Oven, a poignant reminder of Futuna's complex history. Amidst verdant taro plantations, we learned of the island's defiance against Tongan invasions, preserving its cultural identity. We visited the Cathedral of Poi, where locals honor Saint Pierre Chanel, whose legacy resonates across Polynesia. A cultural war dance immersed us in Futuna's vibrant spirit, brimming with tradition. We reveled in local delights, from snorkeling in pristine waters, to basking on sandy shores. As the day closed, we shared tales over tea and cocktails, cherishing our connections to Futuna's past and present.
As we sail towards the Azores, we come into what was traditionally whale hunting territory, chiefly by the Basques, a hardy nation within a nation who were hungry for resources. While the earliest evidence of the trade in whale blubber was in the 11th Century, it is not certain whether Basque whalers were simply harvesting blubber from whales that washed up, rather than hunting. By the end of the 12th Century, 46 ports in the north of Spain were associated with whaling across the entire country, not limited to Basque County. Carlos, an ethnographer of whaling, gave us an excellent introduction to the history of this brutal trade to prepare us for our days to come. Basque whalers, he told us, were famously used by Northern European countries to exploit the maritime resources of the northern islands in Europe and Labrador. The cultures of the islands we have visited during this trip have been incredibly diverse, and we were happy to be able to visit Ilhas Desertas for the first time; to land, dive, and conduct science.
We arrived at Isabela, the sea horse-shaped island, in the west of the Galapagos Archipelago. We hiked on a beautiful oasis of green poison apple tree leaves where we found some of the Galapagos land iguanas basking in the sun. The highlight of the morning was the Alcedo Volcano giant tortoise species that we found in large numbers walking on our trail. It was an amazing morning surrounded by these giants of the wilderness! After lunch we navigated towards Tagus Cove. This site offered the opportunity to kayak along the coast with sightings of Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants, and Galapagos sea lions resting near the shore. Some of us also went deep-water snorkeling to swim among Pacific green sea turtles. Later on, we had the opportunity to go hiking up a trail around Darwin Crater Lake. We finished our day watching a beautiful sunset. We had a magical adventure on our third full day of expedition!
This morning National Geographic Orion entered the calm waters of Wallis Island, an atoll. We landed with our Zodiacs to a greeting from the local people of Wallis. We were welcomed with a traditional dance and musical performance, along with fresh fruits and coconuts. In the afternoon, we enjoyed our own private motu. With perfect conditions, we deployed the kayaks and standup paddleboards, we snorkeled and swam, we had even more fresh fruit and coconut. It was a quintessential afternoon in the middle of the South Pacific. We returned to National Geographic Orion just before sunset. Another day of adventure awaits us.
To make the most of La Palma Island, we got a very early start today. As the city was still waking up, we walked along the cobbled streets within centuries old architecture. Beautiful wooden balconies with many decorative plants punctuated the colorful houses at the perfect golden hour. The woodwork, textures, and even the different shapes of the doorknobs were fascinating. The island was of enormous importance during trading with the Americas, especially sugar cane. Many traces are still present from those pirate days, including the extensive banana plantations. Some of us toured volcanos of the past and present, among rugged landscapes. The views of the island and the ocean were superb. We all had a chance to taste wines from this volcanic island, and once again we enjoyed a wonderful lunch full of local delicacies.