Genoveza Island
After a long overnight navigation, we woke early this morning inside the majestic Darwin Bay. A pre-breakfast kayak outing was the perfect way to begin our adventure. After a fantastic breakfast, it was time to get ready to visit La Playa.
After a comfortable wet landing at Darwin Bay, we were surrounded by many birds and the mixture of their songs was the finest symphony that nature could offer. At the beginning of the trail the elegant red-footed boobies that were nesting surprised us. The fabulous great frigate birds that were flying in the area looked very impressive as they tried to surprise some of the boobies in the air. Farther along the trail, it was time to enter the swallow tailed gull colony. Some of these amazing birds were nesting so close to the trail that it was easy to see the baby chicks that were hidden underneath the parents. At the end of the trail, we enjoyed the splendor of the bay as we returned back to the beach in order to continue with the next part of the adventure.
After a wonderful hike at Darwin Bay, there was no time to waste; we got our gear ready to see what the underwater world of Genoveza wanted to show us. Once in the water, the combination of different colors that we found made us feel as if we were inside a natural aquarium of reef fish. Marine creatures of all kinds were our companions the rest of the morning. After enjoying a magical experience underwater, it was time to return to National Geographic Islander.
In the afternoon, dolphins surprised us as we made our way to shore for the hike to Prince Philip’s steps. As we reached the top of the cliffs, it was spectacular to see dozens of Nazca boobies nesting on the ground, and some of them, even nesting right on the trail. Farther down the trail, we found an incense tree forest that was abundantly populated with red-footed boobies that made the perfect contrast in the area. As we came out of the forest, we had an incredible view of the cliffs being congested with thousands of storm petrels that were flying everywhere like a carnival of nature. Right at the middle of the adventure, we saw one of the main highlights of the day: several short eared owls. The enchantment of Genoveza made us feel lucky to be in a paradise as marvelous as the Galápagos Islands.
