National Geographic Endeavour II arrived at Puerto Ayora — one of the most important sites of our expedition. Today we experienced culture and nature at the same time. We visited the Charles Darwin Foundation, where we learned about different conservation projects being run on the island. Then we had several options available for the next portion of our day. Some of our guests visited the Tomas de Berlanga School, where bilingual students guided them around. Other guests visited the Rancho Ochoa; here we learned how to produce lettuce by hydroponic techniques, saving a lot of water and providing high-quality vegetables for our tables. Finally, some guests visited the Trapiche, a farm where the owners demonstrated the traditional way to make sugar, coffee, chocolate, and moonshine! What a fun day we had! We cannot wait to keep exploring this paradise.
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.
