Revisit some of the most magical moments that guests experienced in 2024 aboard the National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions fleet in the wildest corners of the world.
This week's post includes photos of three different Antarctic penguin species, as well as two additional penguin species in the Galapagos Islands and Australia's Macquarie Island.
The holiday season is special to us all, but it is especially meaningful to our incredible crew who spend months at sea away from their families and loved ones. The crew of National Geographic Orion is incredibly creative in showing us all their Christmas spirit and a much-loved tradition is the annual Christmas door decoration contest.
Today we explored northern Santa Cruz at Cerro Dragón, which is the leeward side of the island. We started the day with a morning walk through the dry vegetation and we were lucky enough to encounter the endemic yellow Galapagos land iguanas that were exploring the area looking for food. To continue our day, we stopped by Borrero Bay, and we had the opportunity to learn about and observe the wonderful mangrove ecosystem. From its value as nurturing grounds to its economic value to the local community and tourism, we learned the importance of the mangroves.
The holiday spirit flows through National Geographic Orion on Christmas day. Sailing between New Zealand and New Caledonia, the team took the time for a family photo of the entire staff and crew. After Christmas brunch the National Geographic Orion family enjoyed a presentation on traditional Polynesian navigation by our esteemed cultural expert Tua Pitman. Hotel Manager Fran then spoiled us all with a fortune hunt, games, and prizes. As black-winged petrels soared above the Coral Sea, we gathered one last time as Dive Master Mike Desiderio teased us with a trivia contest. Though we may be far from home, National Geographic Orion provides us all with a sense of family love and tenderness during this celebrated season.
Merry Christmas from National Geographic Endurance which just arrived in Antarctica! It is not a bad Christmas morning when the first thing one does is step foot on the Antarctic Continent to be greeted by penguins! After a day of sailing, we arrived at the South Shetlands and made our very first landing at Barrientos Island. Already at the beach, we saw gentoos and chinstrap penguins, that seemed to be awaiting our arrival. It was only a short walk to the colonies and there we could see penguins laying on their eggs and even a few recently hatched chicks! After the great make-your-own-pasta-bar lunch, the next activity was a landing at Half Moon Island. There we chose between a long or shorter hike to get a Christmas Day leg stretch and see even more penguins. After a busy day of outings, it was time for the first recap of the journey and then finally Christmas dinner, where the Christmas buffet awaited guests with some of the best food there is. Today was definitely a Christmas Day to remember!
Today’s adventure on National Geographic Quest started at the interior of the Golfo Dulce with a beautiful view of the mountains covered with the vibrant yellow flowers of the Brazilian fire tree (Schizolobium parahyba). After the Zodiac tours, we landed in the magical reserve of Rio Seco (accessible only by boat) where we had the chance of see all kinds of wildlife, including toucans, macaws, monkeys, and peccaries while experiencing a unique opportunity to walk through a primary forest. In the afternoon, after returning to National Geographic Quest , we arrived at Golfito for kayaking and Zodiac adventures. Here, we had the chance to visit a different ecosystem, the mangroves, where we learned all about its importance as a natural barrier and nursing area for a vast number of animals.
