Today we spent the day on Santiago Island, following Darwin steps. We started with an early hike at Espumilla beach, going inland to see what Darwin saw during his time here. There was an optional photo walk along the beach, to learn about nature photography. The National Geographic Endeavour II was repositioned towards Buccaneer’s Cove. Here one of the highlights is snorkeling, and this morning was spectacular. We saw colorful fish, white-tipped reef sharks, Galapagos fur seals and a huge and playful manta ray! Kayaking and glass-bottom boat rides were an added plus. In the afternoon, our guests enjoyed a great walk along the coastal area of Puerto Egas. The weather was perfect and we had the opportunity to explore the intertidal zone, as it was low tide. Among Galapagos sea lions, herons, marine iguanas, coastal birds and sally lightfoot crabs, the landscape of this place is just a dream! It was another day in 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.
