Fernandina and Isabela, 8/31/2022, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Our day began with the chance to point out a lot of geological features as we took a ride in the dinghies along a massive flank of Ecuador Volcano in Punta Vicente Roca. In the afternoon, we took a sunny walk on Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island. We spotted many iguanas among a bunch of sea lions.
Bernardo, known by his friends and family as Bernie, was born In the Andean city of Quito, located in the highlands of Ecuador. His grandfather, however, moved to the Galapagos Islands in the mid-70s, and worked as one of the first Naturalist Guides,...
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.
The day began at Buccaneer Cove, a place steeped in history, where choppy waters did not prevent us from enjoying a magical sunrise by kayak. As we paddled, we were surrounded by impressive volcanic formations emerging from the sea, vestiges of a past marked by pirates and explorers. In the afternoon at Puerto Egas, we walked along the coast where we observed sea lions resting, Sally Lightfoot crabs, and land iguanas. The highlight of the outing was when a female sea lion gave birth to a pup, which quickly attracted three Galapagos hawks, who fed on the placenta. In a protective act, the mother sea lion moved the baby to an improvised shelter to protect it from predators. This sighting was a vivid reminder of the delicate ecological balance of the Galapagos, where hawks, as top predators, and sea lions, with their protective instinct, play crucial roles in the survival and adaptation of species.
Today we explored the western realm of the Galapagos. The western islands are formidable! We started early in the morning navigating near Punta Vicente Roca, a collapsed caldera of Volcano Ecuador where we proceeded across the equatorial line. After a Zodiac exploration, we snorkeled under great conditions, with swimming iguanas, Galapagos penguins, sea lions, flightless cormorants, several species of fish, and foraging Pacific green sea turtles feeding on seaweed. In the afternoon, we went ashore for a walk on Fernandina Island, the youngest of the archipelago, where it seemed we had been transported back to a time when the land was newly formed. The highlight of the hike were the countless Galapagos marine iguanas that were basking in the sun at the shoreline. We ended the day on the top deck with a wine tasting event at sunset.
Today was the last day of the year and we had quite a spectacular one. Our morning took place on North Seymour, a small island which is home to frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, and land iguanas. Here we found the land iguanas feeding on cactus and in search of food in the dry forest that is soon turning green with the first rain of the hot season. After a short navigation, we reached the red island of Rabida where we had our first deepwater snorkel in crystal-clear water. Lots of beautiful, colorful tropical fish that stand out against the red sandy bottom made this outing a mesmerizing one. To finish the day, we had a stroll on the red sand beach where a colony of sea lions were laid out before us, and we saw the beautiful flamingos that are already nesting. Then a determined sea turtle made its way back to the ocean while our group looked on, a lovely sunset in the background, ending this magnificent day and year.
