Santiago Island, 5/31/2024, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Today was a very special day spent alongside Galapagos penguins. We explored the surrounding area by Zodiac, kayaking, and, of course, snorkeling in the crystal-clear waters of Chinese Hat. This narrow channel is a spectacular place for snorkeling and Zodiac tours.
In the afternoon, we moved the ship to Sullivan Bay, also part of Santiago Island. We offered two options to guests: an invigorating hike to a young lava flow to observe volcanic features or a Zodiac tour to look for wildlife. Sullivan never disappoints!
Adriana was born in Guayaquil , the largest city in Ecuador, on the Pacific coast . When she was only a year old, her parents moved to Galapagos where her father captain ed a small bay - tour boat. She returned to the mainland to finish school, but t...
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
The last day of our expedition brought us to the northern island of Genovesa. At Darwin Bay, we enjoyed observing a good number of juvenile red-footed boobies practicing their flying abilities. What a sight! Our kayaks were deployed for one last time, two rounds of kayaking were offered in the calm area of the sunken caldera. Snorkeling along the high cliffs of Genovesa was the complement to a great morning, where many colorful tropical fishes were seen. Genovesa Island holds the largest colony of red-footed boobies on Earth, among Nazca boobies, great frigatebirds, red-billed tropicbirds, and the short-eared owl, which has taken over the position of the top predator and now is hunting during daytime. A wonderful sunset ended a spectacular day in paradise!
The morning was very warm with calm seas; we went out early to explore the shoreline on kayaks in search of penguins. Some of our guests enjoyed some stretching on the beach where some sea lions were playing. After breakfast, we did water activities. The snorkeling was spectacular, for our guests spotted sharks, manta rays, and other marine life around the turquoise bay of Chinese Hat Islet. The glass-bottom boaters also enjoyed the journey. In the afternoon, we moved to Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island. We walked on a pahoehoe lava field to learn about the geology of Galapagos. The lava is a magical natural museum in front of our eyes. While riding in the Zodiacs on our way back to the ship, we found a flock of penguins and some blue-footed boobies; those sightings were the frosting on the cake for an astonishing day exploring the Galapagos Islands.
This morning, we woke up, grabbed our expedition gear, and embarked on our Zodiacs to go explore Plazas Islet. This place is home to a large colony of sea lions, plenty of land iguanas, marine iguanas, and also nesting swallow-tailed gulls. The islet is covered with the Galapagos carpet weed, which turns red during the dry season, and gives the islet a very exotic touch. We came back on time for a delicious breakfast, and later, we took some of our most adventurous guests to explore the area by Zodiac. During the afternoon, water activities took place on Santa Fe Island, and snorkeling with sea lions was such an incredible sighting for our guests. Later in the afternoon, we disembarked to a large colony of sea lions on the beach, put on our good walking shoes, and went to explore the rest of the trail, where pale land iguanas, mockingbirds, and other species could be observed and photographed. The highlight of the afternoon was for sure a couple of Galapagos hawks that were flying in the area. What a great day!