Today we visited Española Island, one of the oldest islands in the Galapagos Archipelago, and a highlight to the Galapagos adventure. In the morning we went snorkeling with playful Galapagos sea lions and colorful fish at Gardner Islet, and afterwards our guests enjoyed a stroll along a bright white coralline sand beach with turquoise waters, a great place to take spectacular photographs. In the afternoon we went for an exciting hike at Punta Suarez, where there is something to admire in every direction, such as colorful marine iguanas, lava lizards, Galapagos sea lions, Nazca boobies, Española mocking birds and the waved albatross, which is found only here. Some of our guests remarked that this pristine site seems almost unreal, and Galapagos itself seems like a dream—after such a fantastic day, we developed a greater understanding of the uniqueness of this remote Islands.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 04 Dec 2016
Española Island, 12/4/2016, National Geographic Endeavour II
- Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II
- Galápagos
Vanessa Gallo, Naturalist
Vanessa Gallo’s grandparents arrived in the Galápagos Islands in 1936, making her the third generation of her family to live and work in this magical archipelago. She left the islands for the capital city of Quito for high school, where she discovere...
Read More
Rodrigo Moterani, Videographer
Rodrigo Moterani was born in Brazil, where he still lives. After spending his teen years playing with camcorders and VCRs, Rodrigo ended up working in the field of television journalism and video production in his home country. He graduated with a de...
Read MoreShare Report
Related Reports
6/21/2019
Read
National Geographic Islander
Chinese Hat
Off the southeastern tip of Santiago Island lies Sombrero Chino, or Chinese Hat. The beauty of this location is complemented by its surrounding turquoise water and wildlife. We had an early start to the day, and many guests chose to have a pre-breakfast stretch and swim on the beach of Chinese Hat. Later, after breakfast we set out on Zodiacs to look for the iconic bird of the Galapagos, the Galapagos penguin. As we continued our expedition, we snorkeled along the coast of Santiago, just across Chinese Hat Island. The Galapagos underwater world is nutrient rich, which allows for an unexpected grouping of animals from different worlds. We spotted various species of fish, sharks, and rays, all sharing the same area with penguins. We loved it. Before reaching our final destination, our captain slowly maneuvered the ship to an Island with a crater containing brackish water and a thriving flamingo community. We then visited Sullivan Bay on Santiago Island where an eruption in the late 1800s added new lava, making the bay grow larger. Lava flows have created the most interesting shapes found in every direction we looked. Today, plants and animals have begun colonizing the area. The ambiance of the island, and the exploration of the day has made us feel as if we are in the very genesis of the Galapagos. &We had a great day, in great places.
12/6/2018
Read
National Geographic Endeavour II
Bartolomé Island and Sombrero Chino
This morning started with a gorgeous sunrise! We all then went out on a pre-breakfast outing hike up to the summit of Bartholomew Island. On the way up the stairs, we learned about the volcanic formation of the island. It was fascinating to learn about the pioneer plants and how life begins with the rebirth of volcanic islands. The stray cacti on the otherwise barren landscape attests to the power of Mother Nature. When we reached the summit we were treated to spectacular views of the surrounding islands, including Sombrero Chino which was our afternoon destination. After breakfast on board the National Geographic Endeavour II , we then went to a white sand beach to snorkel and explore the sea life. There we were treated to sightings of several varieties of sea stars, parrot fish, and a true highlight was an encounter in the water with two Galapagos penguins! Then we had the chance to snorkel in deeper waters along the coast of lava flows. There we saw a marbled ray and white-tipped reef sharks. We ended our snorkeling excursion with a close-up penguin encounter. The afternoon kicked off with the reposition of the National Geographic Endeavour II towards Sombrero Chino. While navigating we had a photography lecture. Once we dropped anchor we had another round of deep water snorkeling. More of the exciting Galapagos marine life was spotted! The highlight of the afternoon was a Zodiac ride just before sunset. The light was spectacular. Galapagos penguins were perched on the lava flows for all of us to admire. Great blue herons and pelicans put on a display for us to complete another amazing day in the Galapagos!