Fernandina and Isabela Islands, 1/13/2025, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
National Geographic Endeavour II awoke in the western realm of the Galapagos Archipelago. We visited the youngest Island, Fernandina! The single shield volcano is still active, and large fields of basaltic lava are covered by Galapagos marine iguanas, a rather harsh environment that hosts amazing wildlife. From the top predator to the colorful Sally Lightfoot crabs, everyone is trying to survive.
In the afternoon we visited Volcano Ecuador and enjoyed a Zodiac ride along its coast, where Nazca boobies were spotted as well as Galapagos fur seals and Galapagos penguins.
Vanessa Gallo’s grandparents arrived in the Galápagos Islands in 1936, making her the third generation of her family to live and work in this magical archipelago. She left the islands for the capital city of Quito for high school, where she discovere...
On board National Geographic Gemini , we started our day just after sunrise kayaking along Loberia Bay. It was a very special outing as we had sea lions join us close to our kayaks. There also were baby blacktip reef sharks, spotted eagle rays, and sea turtles. In the afternoon, we snorkeled with sea lions and then we visited Cormorant Point. We encountered more sea lions on the beach, blue-footed boobies along the coast, and flamingos in a lagoon behind the beach. To close Earth Day, we all watched the premiere of the documentary, Sea Lions of The Galapagos, by Disney. Certified Photo Instructor Ivan worked as a field assistant and photographer on the project, which made it a very special and personal event for our guests, especially after experiencing sea lions up close and hearing Ivan’s stories about the shooting of the film.
Our day started at Urbina Bay on the island of Isabela, the largest island in Galapagos. Through the dense vegetation we spotted some tunnels in the undergrowth. As we crouched down to look into the tunnel, we spied our first of many giant tortoises. We saw many more, of different sizes, either hiding in the undergrowth or sharing the same trail as us. After our hike many of us took the opportunity to take a refreshing dip in the sea before heading back to National Geographic Endeavour II. The afternoon at Tagus Cove, also on Isabela Island, was full of activity, including kayaking (where we watched pelicans fishing and marine turtles stick their heads above the surface) snorkeling (where we swam alongside penguins and cormorants chasing fish) and then a short hike up to a panoramic view of Darwin’s Lake. It was a great place to reflect on the perfect day we had!
Today we started early in the morning as we navigated to the youngest, western islands in the Galapagos, Fernandina and Isabela. We found marine mammals and many seabirds, and we were mesmerized by the volcanoes all around us. We made a dry landing to enjoy a 1.5-mile trail among a mess of marine iguanas. Our adventure was made even more special as two of our own got engaged this morning, and it was very emotional to us all. Wishing the best of love to Allison and Brian. We love you! Soon after the festivities, we enjoyed an impressive snorkeling outing with marine iguanas, turtles, octopus, sea lions, marine iguanas, and fish. Back on board and repositioned to our next visitor site, Isabela Island, for a Zodiac ride along the shore. Today we saw the Galapagos penguin up close and many more seabirds, sea lions, and fur-seals. We continued navigating, this time towards the equator to celebrate our expedition and an engagement fiesta among our new friends. Right now, we are in the lounge for our recap and briefing about tomorrow’s activities, ready for more magic from the Enchanted Islands. Today was a very special day.
