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, owls, fur seals, hammerheads 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 frigatebirds. My colleague Paul was able to find the first elusive short-ear owl and save the day. Lucky for us we also spotted it hiding or resting at the crevice by a palo santo tree. All of us felt rewarded to have a unique view. Today was a red-footed booby day and we were also spotted frigatebirds with their red gular pouches displayed by the bachelors eager to be selected by females.
Back aboard we prepared for our last snorkeling outing to search the undersea realm. Today we had close encounters with many fish and playful sea lions for the last time. Seeing them close brought excitement and admiration. While we snorkeled, some of our group instead opted for an early kayak outing.
After this great adventure, we came back to our ship anchored inside Genovesa’s caldera to be briefed about our departure and to enjoy our last delicious lunch, the pride of our culinary staff.
We were then ready to start off on our next adventure, which was a wet landing on a white coralline beach inside Darwin Bay. This was named by a celebrity visitor, William Beebe, in honor of a great naturalist who re-directed human thought, Charles Darwin. At high tide we walked over a platform surrounded by birds of all kinds and their chicks. We were moved to see so many active seabirds and the parents taking care of juveniles, hoping that one day they can fend for themselves. We were also happy to find a few marine iguanas which were smaller and darker than we had previously seen, as this northern hemisphere island has a very different ecology and thus, like a Pitri-dish, creates different results.
Taking this walk was like being transported back in time. There were birds flying all over, like prehistoric times, 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 and our experience has been unforgettable on these special islands, where the wildlife that has no fear and allows us to realize that we are not so different.
“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.” Celso Montalvo.
We have all bonded 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.
Adios amigos.
