We spent the day exploring the island of Santa Cruz today. We visited the Charles Darwin Foundation, where we observed the giant tortoise breeding center. This was followed by a visit to a beautiful family-owned ranch to see how farmers live in these islands. We spent the afternoon looking for Santa Cruz giant tortoises in the highlands. We ended the day by enjoying live music and dance performed by local artists on National Geographic Endeavour II.
4/22/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Floreana Island
On board National Geographic Gemini , we started our day just after sunrise kayaking along Loberia Bay. It was a very special outing as we had sea lions join us close to our kayaks. There also were baby blacktip reef sharks, spotted eagle rays, and sea turtles. In the afternoon, we snorkeled with sea lions and then we visited Cormorant Point. We encountered more sea lions on the beach, blue-footed boobies along the coast, and flamingos in a lagoon behind the beach. To close Earth Day, we all watched the premiere of the documentary, Sea Lions of The Galapagos, by Disney. Certified Photo Instructor Ivan worked as a field assistant and photographer on the project, which made it a very special and personal event for our guests, especially after experiencing sea lions up close and hearing Ivan’s stories about the shooting of the film.
