A completely new environment was explored today as we arrived to Santa Cruz Island. We began with visits to the Charles Darwin Research Station, and the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, which together have been working to restore native populations of tortoises in the wild. After spending some time in town, observing the bustling day-to-day of the largest human population in the islands, we headed up to the highlands of Santa Cruz, to see the changes in the scenery and vegetation zones as we gain altitude.
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.
