Floreana Island, 8/7/2023, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
We arrived at Floreana Island early in the morning; our activities began before breakfast with an exploration of Punta Cormorant. After breakfast, we had several activities around Champion Islet, including snorkeling, Zodiac rides, and glass-bottom boat outings.
In the afternoon we enjoyed several activities around Post Office Bay, such as kayaking and snorkeling. We also picked up some mail found in an old wooden barrel; we followed the tradition of whalers and took the postcards to hand-deliver later. It was a great and fun day.
Gilda was born in Ambato, located in the very heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. Since she was a child, she loved animals, often rescuing street cats and dogs. Her parents always made sure there were nature books and plenty of Jacques Cousteau’s videos a...
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We are back among the center islands of Galapagos, and the day started with a pre-breakfast Zodiac ride where we had the chance to observe the seabirds of the area in action. We enjoyed several excursions throughout the day, always admiring the beauty of this part of the world. We finished this wonderful day with a delicious open-air barbecue on the observation deck under the stars.
The western islands of the Galapagos Archipelago offer a very young, diverse environment, including our first visit of the day at Urbina Bay. In the early nineteen fifties approximately two square kilometers of sea floor were uplifted, in certain areas up to four meters out of the ocean. All that we encountered today was colonized after the fifties, including the Galapagos giant tortoises from the Alcedo Volcano population and the Galapagos land iguanas. It was also interesting walking among new vegetation including a forest of poison apple trees. The afternoon brought us to Tagus Cove at Western Isabela Island. This is a famous anchorage for numerous vessels, including the HMS Beagle with the young Charles Darwin onboard in 1835. We explored along the coast in kayaks, Zodiacs, and by snorkeling, which brought us close to Galapagos penguins, Pacific green sea turtles, and flightless cormorants. As the late afternoon was upon us, we were able to hike to Darwin Lake with an incredible view of the surrounding volcanic terrain, like a place at the beginning of time.
An early morning excursion is always invigorating. The sun rising behind the mountains of Isabela Island blended very well with an ocean as calm as glass and the spouting of an unidentified whale that always managed to conceal its identity behind the waves. The visit to Punta Espinoza was unsurprisingly wonderful. The sea lions, marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, and Galapagos hawks were there in all their glory. The snorkeling also offered plenty to see. The sunny Zodiac ride at Punta Vicente Roca was also very productive. We enjoyed flightless cormorants, sea turtles, brown noddies, pelicans, and boobies surrounded by a landscape to die for. It was a great day.
