Meet two 2024 Grosvenor Teacher Fellows and watch how they’re translating their travel experiences into extraordinary learning opportunities back home.
This morning, we awoke east of one of the most isolated islands
in the Gulf of California, Isla San Pedro Martir. The abundance of guano here
tells the story of the sea's productivity, as this island serves as a nesting
ground for a variety of birds that feed on nearby fish. These include brown
boobies, blue-footed boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, brown pelicans, and
Herrmann's gulls. After circumnavigating San Pedro Martir, we returned to National
Geographic Venture and navigated to our next stop, Isa Rasa. The elegant
terns were so loud we could hear them as we approached at a great distance:
this island hosts nearly 90% of all the world's elegant terns and Heermann's
gulls. They’re especially plentiful from April through August, as they form
breeding colonies and raise their chicks here. We then continued onward to Bahia de Los Angeles on the Baja
California Peninsula. After driving inland for 20 minutes, we pulled aside and
began exploring the surreal landscape of this part of the peninsula. Perhaps
the most iconic plant species spotted here is the cirio, also known as the
boojum tree.
Today we woke anchored at the Umatilla Wildlife Refuge, which was created in 1969 as a habitat for wildlife displaced by the John Day Dam on the Columbia River. It serves as crucial compensation for lost habitat and nesting grounds and is an important stopover for waterfowl migration along the Pacific Flyway. The refuge is composed of many small islands called the Blalock Islands, which are essentially a river archipelago teeming with life. These islands provide prime nesting and resting habitat for a variety of bird species, especially during migration season. We set out to explore with our Zodiacs and observed hundreds of birds across 14 different species. Highlights included great looks at soaring red-tailed hawks, a big group of American white pelicans and osprey, including an osprey with a fish in its talons. During lunch we sailed 10 miles downriver to Crow Butte, where guests chose from kayaking or a variety of shoreside walks. We are about halfway through our journey and looking forward to a big change in vegetation and topography as we progress westward towards the Pacific.
Today we visited the youngest part of the archipelago, to the west. Early in the morning, we circumnavigated a beautiful geological formation known as Roca Redonda, where thousands of marine birds nest. Then we navigated along the shoreline of Isabela Island; we admired the beauty of the landscapes, with the fog that is characteristic of this time of year hiding Ecuador Volcano behind it. At Punta Vicente Roca, we explored the bay with our Zodiacs and searched for wildlife. We found charismatic sea lions, marine iguanas, sea turtles, and the famous flightless cormorants. In the afternoon we hiked on the youngest island of the archipelago, Fernandina, where thousands of marine iguanas basked under the sun and light rain in big groups. Some of us went on a Zodiac exploration in search of penguins, and we succeeded in finding them in the late afternoon. We ended the day with an al fresco barbecue dinner and local music on board!
After breakfast, we boarded our kayaks and gently paddled the calm waters of Elizabeth Bay. As we glided through the mangrove channels, we were greeted by the sight of numerous green sea turtles swimming peacefully near us. We also spotted several juvenile blacktip reef sharks cruising through the shallow waters. The presence of golden rays added to the magical ambiance of the bay. At 2:00 p.m., we began our first afternoon outing with a snorkeling session along Punta Moreno. The underwater scenery was simply spectacular. We encountered more green sea turtles, and Galápagos sea lions added a playful element to the experience. The highlight for many was witnessing penguins swimming at remarkable speeds as they hunted small salemas. Later, we returned to shore to walk across a vast and striking lava field — a reminder of the islands’ volcanic origins. However, amid this seemingly barren landscape, we discovered true oases: brackish lagoons where several flamingos were wading gracefully through these pools, feeding on small crustaceans. As we neared the end of our walk, we had one last surprise — encounters with Galápagos penguins and the iconic flightless cormorants.
Today on board National Geographic Endeavour II we started very early, with a visit to Buccaneer Cove. Under the light of dawn our guests had a great stretching session conducted by our wellness specialist, Hilda; a perfect way to connect with nature. Taking advantage of perfect sea conditions, our day got better and better with an exciting Zodiac ride and kayaking. During the tour, our guests observed Nazca boobies and enjoyed a stunning landscape of volcanic lava with incredible colors. The day concluded with a visit to the black sand beach of Puerto Egas on Santiago Island, where our guests could relax and enjoy the sea alongside pelicans and the abundant marine life that Galapagos has to offer.
