Genovesa Island
Genovesa Island is the jewel in the crown of the archipelago. It has one of the largest populations of seabirds in the island. We spent the whole day anchored at this island and had the great privilege of going to two different Galápagos National Park visiting sites.
Hiking at Darwin Bay we were surrounded by several species of birds. Among the highlights were the great number of red-footed boobies and the male frigate birds with their scarlet pouches fully inflated to court the females.
At Prince Philip’s Steps we hiked trough a holly stick forest, near nesting territories of Nazca boobies and red-footed boobies. Walking along the trail near the cliffs of the island we came across several short-eared owls hunting storm petrels. The owls were very well camouflaged waiting motionless for the storm petrels to return to their nests.
In the morning and in the afternoon we organized kayaking outings so our guest could explore the inner area of Genovesa’s main caldera; lots of seabirds and some Galápagos fur sea lions were found resting on the rocks.
Our last time deep water snorkeling in the Galápagos was great! We saw hammerhead sharks, big schools of golden rays and lots of fish were found, for most of our guests was the first time swimming close to hammerhead sharks.
After a full day in the Galápagos, we retuned to the ship and had our farewell cocktail. All our guests were commenting about our magical week on board the National Geographic Endeavour exploring the enchanted islands!
