What a wonderful way to start the year in the westernmost region of the Galapagos. This area is right on top of the hotspot, and Fernandina is the youngest island in the archipelago. The geology and the wildlife are unique. We navigated here to see the popular Galapagos penguin, flightless cormorants, and the huge marine iguana colonies. We took a hike at Punta Espinoza in the morning, followed by snorkeling. In the afternoon, we took a Zodiac tour at a visitors’ spot known as Punta Vicente Roca. We closed the day with a wine tasting on the sky deck during a stunning sunset.
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.
