Isabela & Fernandina Islands
The MS National Geographic Islander navigated all night to reach the most western part of the Galápagos archipelago; where we must expect the unexpected. Early in the morning we spotted a small pod of common dolphins. We were all able to see these acrobatic creatures up close and observe their ability to jump incredibly high out of the water.
The ship then kept navigating towards Ecuador volcano, which is a perfect cross section of a large shield volcano built up from the Galápagos submarine platform.
Later in the morning we found ourselves at Punta Vicente Roca, where we had a lovely Zodiac cruise. The entire area was teeming with wildlife such as marine turtles, iguanas swimming near the coast, feeding penguins, and blue-footed boobies performing their famous plunge dives.
Once everybody was back onboard we decided to explore the area further by snorkeling. It was great to see various species of tropical fish all around us, black sea turtles gracefully passing by, and a few Galápagos flightless cormorants diving.
In the afternoon we went ashore to Punta Espinoza on the island of Fernandina. This was a magic place; where we literally felt like we were traveling back in time. Fernandina gave us an idea of how the islands were thousands of years ago, devoid of life. They must have been a harsh environment for the first colonizers.
We all went back to the National Geographic Islander dreaming of more exciting outings to come.
The MS National Geographic Islander navigated all night to reach the most western part of the Galápagos archipelago; where we must expect the unexpected. Early in the morning we spotted a small pod of common dolphins. We were all able to see these acrobatic creatures up close and observe their ability to jump incredibly high out of the water.
The ship then kept navigating towards Ecuador volcano, which is a perfect cross section of a large shield volcano built up from the Galápagos submarine platform.
Later in the morning we found ourselves at Punta Vicente Roca, where we had a lovely Zodiac cruise. The entire area was teeming with wildlife such as marine turtles, iguanas swimming near the coast, feeding penguins, and blue-footed boobies performing their famous plunge dives.
Once everybody was back onboard we decided to explore the area further by snorkeling. It was great to see various species of tropical fish all around us, black sea turtles gracefully passing by, and a few Galápagos flightless cormorants diving.
In the afternoon we went ashore to Punta Espinoza on the island of Fernandina. This was a magic place; where we literally felt like we were traveling back in time. Fernandina gave us an idea of how the islands were thousands of years ago, devoid of life. They must have been a harsh environment for the first colonizers.
We all went back to the National Geographic Islander dreaming of more exciting outings to come.
