The last full day of our expedition took place on Genovesa Island, one of the northernmost islands of the archipelago. National Geographic Islander II anchored right inside the bay, created by a caldera of great depth. The view from the ship was amazing. Thousands of red-footed boobies, frigatebirds, and gulls flew in circles above as they caught the thermals, columns of rising hot air. Our first outing was to the only beach of this huge bay, a sheltered, white sand trail that allowed us to observe the nesting sites of many marine birds, including seagulls, herons, frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies.
After an amazing snorkel with hammerhead sharks and a kayak outing along the cliffs, we visited the second visitors’ site of the island, Prince Philip’s Steps. The hike took us through an incense tree forest. We were surrounded by red-footed booby nests in the trees. Nazca boobies nest on the ground, making it easy to tell them apart, especially when looking at babies in their fluffy stage.
