We are now waking back through time to the western part of the archipelago. Surrounded by volcanoes, we opted to search for whales and dolphins as we navigated tours at our first and only land based visitor site for the day—we are headed towards Fernandina Island, our youngest and most pristine island.
Here in Punta Espinoza, we disembarked on black lava rock with all kinds of shapes and forms. Immediately we were impressed by the calmness of the area, and the number of marine iguanas; after a few minutes, we agreed the most touching feeling was to be among them so close and feel trusted by the tameness of this wonderful species. We had to be very cautious not to step on top of them, as they will continue with their lives almost oblivious to our presence. Once “invited” into their lives, we could see behavior like fighting and mating. Our ever-present friends the sea lions were also onsite; today we were lucky to see a few females and many playful youngsters. This site also allows us the opportunity of encountering the only flightless cormorants in the world. Basic and simple as this place is, it is astounding that we can clearly see the beginning of an ecology; the miracle of life succeeded regardless of its roughness, as life tends to thrive in the least expected places. And we were here in Fernandina to witness the beginning of it all.
Back onboard as we repositioned our ship to our nest destination, we headed to the northwestern part in search of the largest island in the Galapagos: Isabela Island.
Meanwhile, our chefs and dining room crew took pride in presenting another delicious lunch; an array of colors and spices makes this expedition an outstanding gastronomic experience, as we realized we are not “roughing it” on this journey of discovery.
Punta Vicente Roca at Isabela Island was the site for our deep-water snorkeling, and today we were surrounded by turtles, penguins, flightless cormorant, rays, and sea-lions and of course fish. All of our guests came back with a big smile, moved by this other-worldly experience which will remain in our hearts forever. Soon after, an impressive Zodiac ride along the shores for a majestic view of Isabela’s landscapes and wildlife was the perfect end to our afternoon.
Back onboard, we headed from the southern hemisphere to the northern, crossing the equator and having fun with pirates as the sun sets. We cherished this wonderful day at the National Geographic Endeavour’s bow. We are now united as one. This place has the magic of bonding us through respect and coexistence for one another; inspired by the wildlife and isolation. It is very hard to explain this intrinsic feeling my dear reader, you just simply have to experience it to understand it. I truly wish you were here, but for now our expedition continues on to our next site.
We can wait to see what we will see next as we search for more magic and discoveries in the “Enchanted Islands”.
