After a long navigation from the center of the archipelago and crossing the Equator twice, we finally reached Bolivar Channel, which divides Fernandina and Isabela islands in the western part of Galápagos. These two youngest islands feature six very active volcanoes and one dormant volcano, named Ecuador in honor of the Equator line and our host country.

Early in the morning, early riser guests visited the upper decks looking for sea mammals and sea birds. They enjoyed views of gigantic shield volcanoes as the first sunbeams touched the calm waters, warming up this magical place with life.

After breakfast we headed to Fernandina Island. Due to low tide, it was not possible to disembark on the landing dock. (Years ago, the whole area was raised between 3 to 4 feet by movements of the Earth, leaving this place inaccessible except at high tide). Walking along the black rocks we came across large colonies of marine iguanas, impassively basking in the sun. In the air, four juvenile Galápagos hawks flew about looking for food. Walking along the white beaches, we observed many sea lion mothers teaching their babies how to swim and look for shelter.

Then we arrived at the shallows where some sea turtles swam peacefully while others warmed their bodies on the rocks, which appeared to be completely covered in green algae. This tranquility was interrupted by a noisy sea lion barking constantly, warning other males not come to this place. Finally we reached the territory of the flightless cormorants. Many were opening their stumpy wings and drying out their wet bodies after a successful morning of fishing for a great variety of fish and sea creatures.

When everybody returned to the National Geographic Endeavour, we navigated north bound for Isabela, the largest island in the Galápagos. We started our first outing in the afternoon, snorkeling along Punta Vicente Roca. The conditions were excellent. The ocean was very calm and the weather was very sunny. Our guests spotted penguins, flightless cormorants, and sea turtles everywhere. After snorkeling, we headed back to the same place on Zodiacs to explore the geology of this gigantic volcano.

In the west, the sunset looked magnificent with the last beams lighting the end of this beautiful day while aboard, dancing the Limbo, our guests crossed the Equator line.