The National Geographic Endeavour II visited two of the most iconic islands in the archipelago today. The first island of the morning was Bartolome. We got an early start. Before breakfast, our guests landed on the rocky shores and soon began their climb to the top of this island to enjoy spectacular views from the summit. In the afternoon we enjoyed snorkeling at Sombrero Chino, and we had the rare opportunity to snorkel with the one of the rarest species of flightless birds in the world—the Galapagos penguin.
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.
