Christian Saa, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
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Daily Expedition
Reports
09 Jan 2019
James Island, 1/9/2019, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
This island happens to be the last site which was visited by Charles Darwin during his famous Voyage of the Beagle. It is as rich in human history as it is in natural history, an island like no other, with its contrasting landscapes, ranging from very recent lava flows to lush and green cloud forests.
Today, National Geographic Endeavour II visited three different sites on this island, starting with a pre-breakfast walk for photographers, and a natural history lecture for everybody else. Later in the day, our guests had the opportunity to kayak and snorkel in two prime locations.
Socrates was raised on Santa Cruz Island located in the heart of Galapagos Archipelago. He had a childhood filled with swimming, scuba diving, rock climbing and volunteering in conservation projects, so it was natural for him to grow very passionate ...
Christian was born on the island of Isabela in the Galápagos archipelago. He grew up on a farm and had a magical childhood devoid of cars, electricity, telephones—just pure nature and playful sea lions along the beach. At the age of seven, he moved w...
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Today we spent a lot of our day by the sea. In the morning we went for Zodiac rides along the shore, followed by an inland walk where we experienced the humid season. Afterward, we enjoyed a refreshing snorkeling excursion, exploring and looking for marine life. Our day ended with a wine tasting experience on the sky deck during sunset where we admired dolphins passing by National Geographic Endeavour II .
We arrived at Academy Bay on the southern side of Santa Cruz. We observed Puerto Ayora shining with the first sunrays of the morning. Santa Cruz, in its majesty, was surrounded by clouds that promised to refresh the sky with a sweet and warm rain. It is a blessing for the forest and for our souls to be part of the tropical experience. Our day started with amazing sightseeing of the iconic reptiles of the Galapagos, the giant tortoises. The first tortoises we saw were in captivity, raised to reproduce and to replenish the population in the wild. The baby tortoises were so agile, walking hurriedly and happily in their safe surroundings. Up in the mountains, adult tortoises were living their best lives, watching visitors with the inquisitive patience that characterizes them. Thanks to the tortoises, we have the volcanoes we know now, islands with tropical forests teeming with life. The air was fresh, and we walked in the tropical rain, making our way back to National Geographic Endeavour II. We were so happy.
Today we had an optional early wet landing at Cormorant Point’s visitor site, searching for flamingoes and turtles. We also had a fun opportunity to see a few sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs and many birds. Back on board for breakfast, we repositioned to our snorkeling site. Today’s underwater wildlife was surreal. Sea lions, fish of all kinds and colors, turtles, sharks, rays, scorpion fish, lobster, eels, and more were encountered. We are currently experiencing the changing seasons and the wildlife is mating, for warmer water will incubate the eggs. We boarded National Geographic Endeavour II for a delicious Mexican lunch as we repositioned again for our visit to the world-famous Post-Office Bay. Before we disembarked, we enjoyed the Darwin presentation given by Naturalist Celso Montalvo. Today we exchanged post cards left from previous visitors to have them hand-delivered, just like the ones our guests are leaving behind. Some of us further explored the bay, opting for kayaking, snorkeling, or enjoying a pleasant walk along the beach. We ended the day with our recap and briefing about our next destination. We are now deeply united with this magical feeling of love, coexistence, and respect for one another as the result of exploring this special place, the Galapagos Islands.
