Genovesa Island
Today we had one of the best days of the week that concludes this great expedition in the Galápagos. The experience was so intense that it will remain in our hearts forever.
Following the National Park regulations we disembarked in the morning, splitting our group of guests in two halves: the first group went to Prince Philip’s Steps and the others went to Darwin Bay, where we had a wonderful stroll.
Once atop of the steps and after a dry landing we encountered hundreds of seabirds: Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies, great frigate birds, mockingbirds, Galápagos doves, Darwin finches and many more. Once we reached the other side of the surrounding cliffs we had several sightings of short-eared owls. These birds of prey were hunting for storm petrels; it was really exciting to observe them!
The group that landed on the beach encountered many birds as well, including the wonderful and unique swallow-tailed gulls, lava gulls and yellow-crowned night herons. We found many fiddler crabs and some sleepy sea lions that adorned the beach here and there.
We all came back on board to get ready for snorkeling. We had a very refreshing and great last snorkeling expedition along the coastline of the impressive cliffs of the underwater caldera. Many shark sightings made the snorkeling experience quite enriching and most exciting. Non-snorkelers enjoyed kayaking along the bay.
After lunch and a quick rest, we resumed our activities with a second round of kayaking and walks. Genovesa Island, with its beauty and abundance, was a great place to end our expedition this week in the magical Galápagos Islands!
