Today we awoke at Darwin´s Bay near Genovesa Island. This collapsed caldera is a unique place where thousands of sea birds can be observed in different life stages. We disembarked in the morning for a natural history walk at Darwin´s Bay beach where we had a close look of the red-footed booby, one of the three species of boobies that nest in the Galapagos. We also observed Nazca boobies, frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls, and lava gulls. We also had the opportunity to snorkel with Galapagos fur seals, the second species of sea lion seen during this trip. In the afternoon, we went for a hike to Prince Phillip´s Steps. We were lucky to spot the short-eared owl, a typically nocturnal species that became diurnal on this island because of the absence of its competitor, the Galapagos hawk. We finished the last full day of the expedition celebrating with a toast onboard National Geographic Islander II.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 03 Jun 2023
Genovesa Island, 6/3/2023, National Geographic Islander II
- Aboard the National Geographic Islander II
- Galápagos
Javier Carrion, Naturalist
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
Read MorePatricio Maldonado, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Patricio, better known as Pato amongst his friends, was born in the Galápagos Islands. His family moved to the islands from the mainland and settled on the island of Santa Cruz over thirty-five years ago. Pato had an enchanted childhood in the island...
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South Plaza and Santa Fe Islands
We are ready to set out early to explore the small and picturesque island of South Plaza. Here we find the endemic Galapagos land iguana, their reptilian features and colors stand out against the lava rocks and cactus forest. Swallow-tailed gulls nest right on and alongside the trail. Sea lions play in the water or rest under the bushes. On Santa Fe Island, we continue our excursions, this time with aquatic activities such as kayaking and snorkeling in the shallow turquoise waters of Santa Fe Bay. Sea lions, turtles, large schools of various fish, and rays are found. Later we explored by land to see the island’s land iguanas, finches, doves, and mockingbirds.