Isabela & Fernandina Island, 4/26/2023, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
We spent the day exploring the western part of the Galapagos Islands. We visited Punta Vicente Roca, on the north side of Isabela Island, and Punta Espinoza on Fernandina Island. On this remarkable day, we observed some of the archipelago’s most iconic species, such as Galapagos penguins, sea lions, and marine iguanas.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
Enter travel details to receive reports from a single expedition
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Send Daily Expedition Reports to friends and family
*By clicking the submit button, I authorize Lindblad Expeditions to email me; however, I am able to unsubscribe at any time. For more details, see our Privacy Policy.
Please note: All Daily Expedition Reports (DERs) are posted Monday-Friday,
during normal business hours. DERs are written onboard the ship only and do
not apply to land-based portions of expeditions.
With a very relaxing morning at Gardner Bay, our day began. Nice, sunny beach time with amazing views beside a massive colony of sea lions was a treat to start the day. We also had a wonderful opportunity to explore Gardner Islet underwater. Later at Punta Suarez, we went for a great hike with a bunch of marine birds, including waved albatrosses and a colony of the incredible Nazca boobies. We also enjoyed the unique landscape of the eroded, mature island of Española with its pronounced cliffs and crashing waves. Sally Lightfoot crabs were the cherry on top.
Today we went to Floreana Island, starting with a visit to the very famous Post Office Bay. Here we had the chance to deliver postcards through one of the oldest mailing systems in the Americas. Later on, we rode our Zodiacs to explore the small islet of Champion, where marine birds and sea lions display on the shore. We also snorkeled in this same area, and had close encounters with the playful sea lions. In the afternoon we hiked at Cormorant Point, an old tuff cone with a greenish sandy beach at its base surrounded by black mangroves. We explored the area looking for wildlife and enjoyed the presence and color of the greater American flamingos. On the other side of this visitor site there is a beautiful white sand beach, which is also a sea turtle nesting site. We enjoyed the last rays of today’s sun at this magical location.
We woke up early today to climb to the summit of Bartolome Island. Once you get to the top the view is breathtaking; the scenery is so dramatic and full of volcanic formations, it looks like the moon or Mars. Along the shoreline we found many Galapagos penguins fishing in the water and basking on the black rocky lava. Later on the beach, we had a lot of fun swimming, snorkeling, and strolling along the shore. In the afternoon we moved to the northern part of Santa Cruz Island to visit Cerro Brujo. This place usually belongs to the arid zone of the island, but this year it’s raining all over the archipelago, producing an important quantity of food for terrestrial animals. The area was so lush; birds such as finches and mockingbirds were very happy about the food supply, and the magical land iguanas were also well fed. Our intrepid guests enjoyed the magic of Galapagos, throughout their first full day exploring this amazing archipelago.
