Today we woke up at Punta Cormorant where we disembarked for an early pre-breakfast natural history walk on Floreana Island. Blue-footed boobies were the stars and a number of couples performed courtship rituals. We even had the chance to see a father feeding its chick. After breakfast, we went for a Zodiac ride along Champion Islet. This was a great opportunity to observe different species of sea birds such as brown noddy terns, frigatebirds and swallow-tailed gulls. We also had the chance to go for a deep-water snorkel along the shore of this islet where sea lions played around us. In the afternoon, some guests went out on kayaks and paddle boards, while others went to visit Post Office Bay, where we learned about the human history of the Galapagos. We ended the day on the shore of Post Office Bay where some guests had a chance to walk along the beach while others went for a refreshing swim.
10/4/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Genovesa Island
With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the front balcony of the lounge to see what was going on. We had just entered Darwin’s Bay, dropped anchor, and the juvenile red-footed boobies had found the ship and were flying around us on an inspection tour. The rest of the day continued with discoveries of all kinds. An early morning inversion layer (locally known as “garúa”) had fallen and dampened the environment with much desired drops of fresh water, although the chicks of various species didn’t appear terribly pleased in having wet feathers. On our return, the same bedraggled individuals looked smooth, sleek and dry once the sun had come out. The Galapagos National Park has only two sites for visitors, both spectacular, both well worth a slow walk among the palo santo trees to see the great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, Darwin’s finches, short-eared owls, and storm petrels. Snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the base of the cliffs of Darwin’s Bay followed. There’s nothing quite like this island anywhere in the world.
