On the last day of our amazing journey, a group of enthusiastic kayakers and paddleboarders enjoyed sailing along Darwin´s Bay very early in the morning. They had unique opportunities to spot some of the most beautiful birds in the area and enjoy the impressive volcanic landscape at this time of the day.
We enjoyed visiting Genovesa, a bird´s paradise, with a great number of birds living peacefully in a single place. Due to the excellent food availability, weather conditions, and lack of natural predators such as the Galapagos hawk, different species of birds manage to lead a calm life on this island. As usual, a small group of sea lions were waiting for us on the nice beach of Darwin´s Bay. On the north side of Genovesa Island, the birds were observing us as we disembarked. We could very easily spot Nazca boobies walking on the sand, red footed boobies nesting on the incense trees, and great frigate birds on the red mangrove trees. But our bird list didn´t stop there, since we could also see other species such as the swallow-tailed gull, some lava herons, and even red-billed tropic birds nesting.
After lunch, our youngest guests had the chance to learn how to drive a Zodiac with our guide and panguero team. Soon after that, we disembarked in another visiting point very close to Darwin´s Bay called Prince Philipp´s Steps. We entered a dry vegetation zone and could see incense trees with their very artistic branch shapes, as well as the beautiful color of the yellow cordia flowers, and the contrasting orange and green leaves of the Galapagos croton tree.
The “owners” of this place are the frigate birds and the Nazca boobies. We observed both brown and white versions (which are two types of color variations within this single species). We were also extremely lucky to see several short-eared owls, one of the two endemic species of owls in the Galapagos.
Time flies when you enjoy what you are doing! A mixture of sadness and happiness was perceived during our Farewell Cocktail. Although all beautiful things have an end, the nice memories and shared experiences on this trip will remain with us forever!
