We anchored in a collapsed caldera on Genovesa Island. In the air, we saw hundreds of birds flying around. We landed on a white sand beach to explore the first part of the island. We got to see a lot of nesting red-footed boobies. Fluffy red-footed booby babies waited in their nests for their parents to return to feed them. We were so close to them and had the chance to take great pictures of these beautiful birds.
There were many frigatebirds flying around. They barely flapped their wings as they soared through the skies. The birds demonstrated a very famous behavior when they tried to steal food from others as they returned to their nests. From sandy patches of the beach, Galapagos sea lions attracted everybody’s attention. We cannot take enough pictures of these photogenic animals.
Later in the afternoon, we had the chance to go for some kayaking and paddleboarding in the calm, secluded waters along the cliffs. Galapagos fur seals and Pacific green sea turtles came to the surface, almost as if they wanted to say hello. What an extraordinary experience.
We disembarked one more time to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. A big nesting colony of Nazca boobies was our first sight. We had the chance to observe many of these birds as they warmed up their eggs under their feet. We saw many red-footed boobies resting on the branches of incense trees, taking care of their babies, or picking up nesting materials.
A few minutes into our walk, we found the feeding grounds of the short-eared owls. As we walked around, we discovered the owls standing very still as they waited for prey to come close enough to catch. The owls blend in easily with the rocky brown landscape. To finish our day, we had a great wine tasting on the upper deck at sunset. We enjoyed the breathtaking views.
