Continuing with our expedition aboard National Geographic Endeavour navigating through Galápagos National Park, today we visited the two geologically youngest islands in the western realms of the archipelago.
Not many ships are fortunate enough to come this far west to visit one of the volcanically most active places on earth. This whole day we had seven different shield volcanoes surrounding us at all times--six from Isabela Island and one from Fernandina Island. The activities organized at these two sites comprised a nature hike, deep water snorkeling, Zodiac riding, and the equator crossing.
These no words to describe the beauty of these two Islands. It is so easy to stay for several hours just contemplating the volcanic landscape full of unique wildlife, and everyone felt like they were a part of the day-to-day life of some of the endemic species here.
Some of the memorable moments of the day included a hawk feeding on a marine iguana, a mother sea lion just returning after a long foraging trip to feed its baby, and turquoise waters replenished with green Pacific sea turtles, penguins, and even a giant manta ray.
Our day finished with us toasting at the sky deck with glasses of champagne, and watching the stunning sunset in the sea while crossing the equator aboard the ship. We hope for many more exciting moments to come.
