Today we explored the northern side of Santa Cruz Island. In the morning we hiked inland to Dragon Hill, a place known for the dragon-like reptiles in the zone, the Galapagos land iguana. We disembarked on the rocky shore, walked along the beach towards a brackish water lagoon to finally reach the hill, where observed these remarkable land iguanas in their natural habitat. In the afternoon we navigated to Borrero Bay for kayaking and paddleboarding while surrounded by mangroves and rocky shores. What an adventure we had today.
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.
