In the morning, we explored Cerro Dragon. We were walking around the brackish water lagoon and observed several lagoon birds such as sandpipers and black necked stilts. It was amazing to see marine iguanas eating the leaves of portulaca, a succulent plant found in the coastal area. There were a good number of Galapagos mockingbirds and Darwin finches. Furthermore, the Galapagos land iguanas were very busy feeding on the fresh leaves of the plants; Cerro Dragon changes dramatically during the rainy season. In the afternoon, together with the young explorers, we encountered red billed tropicbirds gliding the cliff of Eden Islet and they all enjoyed the Zodiac driving lesson; it was a lot of fun!
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.
