Cerro Dragon and Borrero Bay, Santa Cruz Island, 1/22/2025, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
This morning National Geographic Endeavour II was anchored along the northwest coast of Santa Cruz Island. During the morning our guests explored a Galápagos dry forest in search of Palo Santo trees, giant Galápagos prickly pear cactus, and Galápagos land iguanas. In the afternoon we explored Borrero Bay, a mangrove ecosystem where some guests kayaked and others went on Zodiac rides.
Salvador Cazar studied biology at the Universidad Nacional Del Sur, Bahía Blanca, in Argentina and at the Catholic University of Ecuador. Between 1988 and 1994, Salvador worked as a naturalist and tour leader for several national and international to...
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We started our first full day of exploration with a wonderful sunrise and perfect weather conditions. In the morning we went ashore to stroll along the trail of North Seymour, and with every step we found a different animal. First we saw the swallow-tailed gulls nesting, then sea lions, marine iguanas, land iguanas, and many frigatebirds nesting on the trees. Some male frigatebirds were displaying their ritual to attract the females, which consists of inflating their red gular sacs, then spreading and shaking their wings while making some rattling sounds. In the afternoon we had a great time snorkeling at Rábida Island, and later walking along an astonishing red beach with colonies of sea lions. Behind the shoreline we saw a flock of pinkish flamingoes nesting at the edge of a brackish water lagoon, while others were feeding on mollusks and microscopic shrimp. The sunset on the horizon was the icing on the cake for such a spectacular day of fun in the paradisiacal Galapagos.
What a great day we enjoyed at Genovesa Island. The day was full of activities, from an easy walk at Darwin’s Bay beach to a hike at Prince Phillip’s steps, where we observed the beautiful red-footed boobies. There were several male great frigatebirds displaying their gorgeous gular sack — the mating season is starting! We observed swallow-tailed gulls, and Nazca boobies taking care of their chicks. Galapagos sea lions were resting on the white sand, while Galapagos fur seals rested at the rocky areas. Snorkeling was awesome today, with many colorful fish, and kayaking in the calm waters of the caldera was a great option too! Genovesa is a dream come true!
Our activities started early in the morning today with an optional walk up to the top of Bartolome Island; 375 wooden steps took us to an iconic volcanic landscape view. We observed many different forms, including the world-famous “Pinnacle Rock,” featured in many documentaries, books, and even movies. Soon after, we were back on board for breakfast, and then off to the beach for snorkeling. Today we were very lucky to swim among whitetip reef sharks, Galapagos penguins, rays, turtles, and fishes. Back aboard the ship, our captain repositioned to our next visitor site, Sombrero Chino, for water activities like snorkeling, kayaking, and a ride along the shoreline searching for Galapagos penguins, sea lions, sharks, Galapagos hawks, and much more. Later we returned to the ship for our traditional recap and a BBQ dinner. Our expedition is more than halfway done, and our guests are now expedition experts. We have earned this surreal feeling of coexistence and respect from one another, provided by the wildlife and true isolation with mother nature, a feeling that will remain in our hearts for a lifetime.
