Darwin Bay and Prince Philip’s Steps, Genovesa Island, 3/8/2025, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
During our outings today, guests of National Geographic Islander II explored the only two visitor sites on Genovesa Island, Darwin Bay and Prince Philip’s Steps. Highlights of the day included the many red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, and great frigatebirds that we encountered along the trails.
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...
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
Today we awoke early with a spectacular view of the giant cinder cone known as Sombrero Chino. This monogenic cone creates an iconic and very diverse channel. We had a great time kayaking before breakfast, and later in the morning we enjoyed snorkeling in the warm and rich waters filled with abundant and colorful creatures. For the afternoon we navigated along the coastline of Santiago, or James Island, and anchored at Sullivan Bay. At this historical site we enjoyed various activities, including Zodiac exploration, hiking, and snorkeling. Feeling amazed and grateful for the unique wonders of Galapagos, we finished a fabulous day with a beautiful view of Bartolomé.
Our visit to Genovesa, or Tower Island, started with a pre-breakfast kayaking excursion inside Darwin’s Bay. The water was calm as a mirror and the view was amazing. Our second activity after breakfast was visiting Darwin’s Bay beach; this site is exhilarating because of the enormous amount of birdlife surrounding you. In the afternoon after snorkeling, we visited Prince Philip’s Steps, where the largest concentration of red-footed boobies in the world showed itself in all its majesty. Great frigatebirds, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, wedge-rumped petrels, and short-eared owls were everywhere. We closed the day with a lovely wine tasting on the 500-level at sunset. A memorable day indeed.
