Tower, or Genovesa Island, is home to over one million seabirds. Our highlights here were diverse, from Nazca, red, and blue-footed boobies, to gulls and owls, fur seals, hammerhead sharks, turtles, and manta rays.
Our adventure began with a walk that started at the famous Prince Philip’s Steps, where we were surrounded by Nazca, red-footed boobies and frigate bird chicks. One major highlight was to search for a very difficult bird to find; my colleague Pato was able to find the elusive short-eared owl and save the day. Lucky for us he spotted it hiding from the strong sea-breeze and all of us felt rewarded to have a unique view.
Back aboard we prepared for our last snorkeling outing in search the undersea realm. We had close encounters with a Pacific green turtles, white-tipped reef sharks, white-spotted eagle rays and many fish. Seeing them close brought much excitement and admiration.
After this great adventure, we came back to our ship anchored inside Genovesa Caldera to be briefed about our departure and enjoyed our last delicious lunch with much pride for our culinary staff.
We were then ready to start off our next adventure, which was a wet landing on a white coralline beach inside Darwin Bay. It was named by a celebrity visitor, William Beebe, in honor of a great naturalist who re-directed human thought, Charles Darwin. At low tide and over a platform we walked surrounded by birds of all kids and their chicks, observing their behaviors and colors. We were moved to see so many chicks and adult seabirds and parents taking care of them so that one day they can fend for themselves. We were also happy to find a few marine iguanas which are smaller and darker, as this northern hemisphere island has a much different ecology and so, like a Petri-dish, presents different results.
Taking a walk this afternoon on a very high tide was like being transported back in time. There were birds flying all over and lava formations resembling the first foundation of Earth. Later it was time to return to the ship and reminisce about the many experiences of such a wonderful week. As we look back and gaze at the islands for the last time, this place now seems to be timeless to us. It is now deep within our hearts. Our experience has been unforgettable on these special islands, where the wildlife has no fear and allows us to realize that we are not so different from each other.
“We must not acknowledge the methodical saying ‘don’t humanize the animals’ but instead ‘animalize the human’ by perceiving our surrounding with all our senses; embracing nature by coexistence and respect for one another, so we can become one with nature as we once were.”
We have all bounded like a family, united by this invisible mysticism. At the end of our journey we hope to stay in touch and that the experience our guests had this week will stay with them for a lifetime.
