We continued or expedition in the magical Galapagos Islands with a beautiful sunrise as we landed at Espumilla Beach at 6:30 in the morning. The sunlight at this time is great for photography, so a specific group of guests went ashore on a dedicated photography walk receiving advice from our photo instructor/naturalist Antonio Adrian. Other guests opted to go on a nature walk where they learned many interesting facts about the importance of mangrove ecosystems and much more about natural history. They spotted Galapagos flycatchers and a couple of Galapagos hawks as well.
After breakfast our home away from home this week, the National Geographic Islander, navigated to Buccaneers Cove. In this famous historical location our guests had different options to enjoy the rest of the morning. We had two very successful kayaking and paddle boarding outings. In the late morning we went snorkeling with many tropical fish species, a couple of sharks and playful Galapagos sea lions.
After lunch we had an important and pertinent presentation on Charles Darwin with naturalist Jose Guerrero. During the talk the ship was repositioned to Puerto Egas. We had a couple of groups that went ashore to explore the area by hiking. The highlight of this activity was observing the Galapagos fur seals that live on the rocky shores of this site in an area known as the grottos. A very large school of rays, about a hundred, was seen leaping out of the water in the distance. This unusual sighting was spectacular! Rays usually do this to knock down parasites and probably as part of their mating behavior as well. Another group of guests chose to stay at the landing beach, swimming, snorkeling, relaxing, and taking photographs at their leisure, for we had plenty of time.
As the day was coming to an end, the sunset generated a golden light that was ideal for photography and sightseeing. We noticed that it was already six in the afternoon and it was time to return aboard.
After recaps and dinner we finally went to bed to rest. We could not avoid thinking about the numerous feelings and memories that this day brought to our lives, so strong that it will remain in our hearts and minds forever. The magic of the enchanted Galapagos touched our lives in an enduring way.
