Today we continued our expedition by exploring northern Santa Cruz Island. Santa Cruz is the second largest island in the archipelago and the north has one of the largest mangrove forests, which means it’s home to many species. We started our day with a wonderful hike at Dragon Hill where we spotted the magnificent land iguana. In the afternoon we had many excursions from which to choose, including kayaking, paddle boarding, or Zodiac riding. Our guests were thrilled to see baby sharks (black tips and a hammerhead) and lots of sea turtles and sea birds. We had a stunning day filled with beautiful colors and lots of wildlife.
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.
