We are halfway through our expedition around the Galapagos Islands aboard National Geographic Endeavour II. We started our day with an early walk on Espumilla Beach, an important nesting site for Pacific green sea turtles. Afterwards, the ship changed location to Buccaneer Cove. Pirates and whalers visited this site. Guests enjoyed water activities like kayaking, tours in the glass-bottom boat, and snorkeling with mantas. In the afternoon, we took a walk on the shores of Puerto Egas and spent time on the beach. Today was another great day spent on these amazing islands.
5/6/2025
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Isabela Island
Navigation brought us to the largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago, Isabela. Holding half of all land mass in the Galapagos, it has a diverse selection of ecosystems that we were able to visit. Urvina Bay was geologically uplifted in the 1950’s, taking two square kilometers of seafloor that was thrust upward, in certain areas up to four meters out of the water. Intertidal species were stranded inland, and we walked upon this area. Galapagos giant tortoises and land iguanas were found on our trail, and we were surrounded by Darwin finches and Galapagos mockingbirds. The afternoon brought us to Tagus Cove where we explored the surrounding waters, encountering Galapagos penguins and Pacific green sea turtles swimming among the kayakers and snorkelers. As the sun dipped below the horizon, adventurous hikers took a fast-paced hike to enjoy an incredible view of Darwin Lake and the immense island of Isabela.
