Today we woke up in a surreal location, the middle of a sunken caldera! The island of Genovesa is a paradise for seabirds, and we woke up early to make the most of our day in this unique place. The first groups disembarked at the foot of a set of stairs called Prince Phillip Steps, named after the visit of Prince Phillip himself to this site. Here red-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies, and great frigatebirds where seen everywhere; but we were also looking in crevices and fissures along the trail to find a unique bird of prey, a short-eared owl with a diurnal behavior.
A second group disembarked on a beach called Darwin´s bay. The same seabirds nest here, Nazca and swallow-tailed gull chicks as well. Photo opportunities were excellent with these fearless animals. As if this wasn't enough, some baby sea lions were posing for us.
As usual, aquatic activities came next. Between kayaking, paddle-boarding and snorkeling, everybody had a chance to enjoy the marine life.
After a Galapagos lunch, made up of vegetables grown in the islands in order to support local economy and farming, our groups switched. Those that went to the beach headed on to the cliff, and the groups that visited the cliff went towards the beach. That way everybody would have a chance to see everything, and we also can maintain the pristine ecosystems of the islands.
Back on board, we enjoyed the sunset on the upper deck, a farewell cocktail and a slideshow of our pictures of the trip. With our hearts overjoyed from our wonderful time in the Galapagos, we say goodbye to the islands.
