Early in the morning our hikers got up with the rising sun, in one of the most graceful places on Floreana Island, Punta Cormorant. This place is not named because there are cormorants there, but rather in honor of a vessel that sank near the area. Right before midday we snorkeled around Champion Islet, an eroded parasite cone with a depth that reaches more than 150 feet just a few meters away from the coast. Sergeant majors, two kinds of damselfishes, king angels, razor-blade surgeons, blue-chin parrotfish, pyramid sea stars, baby sea lions, a sea turtle and a few white tipped reef sharks welcomed us in the refreshing water. The lunch was delicioso! We closed out the day visiting Post Office Bay and the barrel there to deliver some cards and pick up a few. We also had the opportunity to kayak and paddleboard around the shorelines before enjoying Sebastian’s talk about sea turtles.
5/29/2025
Read
National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.
