Genovesa Island
Genovesa Island is the only island that we visited that is located in the northern hemisphere. It is one of the so called “seabirds island,” because of its more than four hundred thousand birds, including boobies and frigate birds.
We were surprised with a very wet day, but that didn’t stop the spirit of the early kayakers. They were ready to go and enjoy the beautiful lava formations and the animals close to the shore, like the fur seals. The weather really didn’t change after breakfast, so we kept the schedule and walked with the rain on a sandy trail in Genovesa. The rain wet the feathers of the boobies, frigate birds and many others, so the opportunity to interact with these animals and get the best shots couldn’t be better.
As soon as we could we took the snorkeling equipment for the last opportunity of the week. And even though we thought the snorkeling during the previous days fulfilled our expectations, the Galapagos never stops surprising its visitors and we got several groups of scalloped hammerhead sharks ten feet in front of us. Eagle rays and tons of fishes completed the fishes’ list we had on board.
For the last excursion of the day on the Prince Phillip’s steps the rain stopped completely, so the walk felt much better. There were red footed boobies everywhere and close by there were Nazca boobies with their little chicks. After all the birds seen, there was still one more needed – the short eared owl. During the hike an amazing number of six owls posed for our cameras, and one even decided to hunting and ate dinner right in front of us.
This trip couldn’t have ended better. I’m hopeful that the guests will remember this vacation as one of their best.
