After our longest navigation of the week, the National Geographic Endeavour II sailed into the anchorage at the western end of the Perry Isthmus, the narrowest point on Isabela Island. Elizabeth Bay would become our gateway into the western realm of the archipelago, where we are planning to spend a full three days of our expedition. Here, guests had the chance to explore one of the oldest mangrove coves of the islands which teemed with marine wildlife from Pacific green sea turtles to Galapagos penguins. After a delicious Andean lunch, we visited Punta Moreno at the foot of Cerro Azul volcano where we explored from our Zodiacs, while snorkeling and hiking on the rugged volcanic landscape.
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.
