Genovesa Island
Tower, or Genovesa Island, is home to over one million seabirds. Our highlights here were diverse: from Nazca, red & blue-footed boobies and gulls to owls, fur seals, hammerheads sharks, and manta rays.
Our adventure began with a walk that started at the famous Prince Philip’s Steps, where we were surrounded by Nazca boobies, red-footed boobies and frigate bird chicks. My colleague was able to find the elusive short-ear owl that was very close to us on the way back. Lucky for us, she spotted it and saved the day! All of us felt rewarded to have a unique view of the camouflage diurnal raptor.
Back aboard we prepared for our last snorkeling outing in search of the undersea realm. We had close encounters with a few impressive hammerhead sharks; to see them up close brought excitement and admiration for such an impressive animal.
After this great adventure, we came back to our ship anchored inside Genovesa caldera to be briefed about our departure while we enjoyed our last delicious lunch, made with pride by our culinary staff.
We were then ready to start off our next adventure, a wet landing on a white coralline beach inside Darwin Bay, named by a celebrity visitor, William Beebe, in honor of a great naturalist who re-directed human thought, Charles Darwin. At low tide and over a platform, we walked surrounded by birds of all kids and their chicks observing their behaviors and colors. We were moved by seeing so many chicks and adult seabirds and their parents taking care of them so they can one day fend for themselves. We were also happy to find a few marine iguanas, which are smaller and darker as this northern hemisphere island has a very different ecology and like a Pitri-dish, different results.
Taking this walk was like being transported back in time. There were birds flying all over, like in prehistoric times, and lava formations resembling the first foundation of Earth. Later, it was time to return to the ship and reminisce about the many experiences of such a wonderful week. As we look back and gaze at the islands for the last time, this place now seems to be timeless to us. It is now deep within our hearts and our experience has been unforgettable on these special islands, where the wildlife that has no fear and allows us to realize that we are not so different.
“We must not acknowledge the methodical saying ‘don’t humanize the animals’ but instead ‘animalize the human’ by perceiving our surrounding with all our senses; embracing nature by coexistence and respect for one another, so we can become one with nature as we once were.”
We have all bonded like a family, united by this invisible mysticism; at the end of our journey we hope to stay in touch and that the experience our guests had this week will stay with them for a lifetime.
