Recently, we were honored to have some very special guests join us in our New York office. A multi-generational group of Kwakwakaw’wakw chiefs, elders, and artists from the U’mista Cultural Society in Alert Bay, British Columbia shared traditional song and dance with our staff in appreciation for our support through the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic Artisan Fund. _
Director and research biologist Andy Szabo chats about the history of the Alaska Whale Foundation as well as the troubled future of the humpback whale.
Alaska is a perfect destination for adventurous travelers looking for exciting activities while traveling. Here, seven things to do with the entire family.
Alaska is synonymous with foraging bears, soaring eagles, and charming sea otters bobbing in the kelp. The iconic wildlife, not to mention the spectacular scenery, is what brings most people to this remarkable geography. But what most people don’t know is there’s a whole other facet of Alaska’s wilderness: the dazzling undersea. Lying below the surface is a surprisingly vivid world teeming with life that’s as captivating as the animals above. And when you travel with Lindblad you’ll get to experience this seldom-seen perspective thanks to our exclusive undersea program.
A day filled with wonder and some hard work! An early morning outing gave us blacktip reef sharks, penguins, and after a short walk, some yearling marine iguanas waking up and warming up. After breakfast, we took a bus into the highlands. We climbed the flanks of a volcano, the widest of Isabela’s five volcanos. Vegetation changed from arid coastline to verdant green. It doesn’t always look like this, and the wet season has indeed been very wet, providing us with this beautiful result. We enjoyed a long hike, with some mud yet no slips, lots of photos, and many awe-inspired exclamations at the vast caldera of Sierra Negra.
We awoke to the distant sound of barking. The low morning sun illuminated the small northernmost islands of the Espiritu Santo Archipelago called Los Islotes. We were here to visit a vibrant rookery of California sea lions who were the source of that barking. Many of our intrepid group visited these playful creatures in their own wet environment. We snorkeled and watched their antics as they chased each other, blew bubbles, and even nibbled at our fins. The rest of our group visited via Zodiac where we viewed their spirited behavior on land and bathed in the cacophony of their barks and moans. We were also lucky to see many birds that roost on the island, including blue-footed and cocos boobies and yellow-footed gulls. We then moved further south in the archipelago to the gorgeous anchorage of El Cardonal on Isla Partida. We kayaked the crystal clear, electric turquoise waters in flat, calm conditions, as brown pelicans, ospreys, and hawks flew overhead. In the late afternoon we went ashore for walks across the island. Here we explored cardon cactus forests, spied on the endemic Espiritu Santo antelope squirrel, and learned about mangrove ecosystems in the beautiful evening light.
Today our guests had the opportunity to visit San Cristóbal Island, one of the oldest islands at about 4 million years old. We visited Punta Pitt very early in the morning where we disembarked on its incredible green-sand beach. Soon after, we hiked along a tuff cone volcano’s trail where our guests saw the three species of boobies that inhabit the Galapagos. The highlight was the red-footed boobies that we saw for the first time. After the hike, our guests had time to relax and snorkel from the beach. In the afternoon, our guests enjoyed beautiful Cerro Brujo Beach, considered one of the top 10 best beaches in the world to visit. Cerro Brujo, with its turquoise waters, allowed us to relax and enjoy the ocean and the unique wildlife. And finally, to end this incredible day, we sailed around Kicker Rock where our guests said goodbye to this beautiful island on the southeast side of the archipelago.
Our day started with a heavy rain, but that didn’t stop our visit to the most populated island. Early in the morning some of us decided to visit the Charles Darwin Breeding Center to learn about the programs that the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Foundation share for the benefit of the wildlife in the archipelago. We observed the tortoise breeding program to recover populations that were decimated in the past due to human interaction (whalers, pirates, and introduced animals) that severely harmed this species to the point of extinction. After the visit, we gathered at a nice spot for a rehydrating drink and departed to different sites to get to know how Galapagueños make their living in agriculture. One group was taken to the hydroponic farm, and other groups were driven to El Trapiche, a sugarcane plantation. Once the visit was over, we had a wonderful lunch at another ranch in the highlands and afterward we took our official walk to observe the Galapagos giant tortoises in their natural habitat. Finally, back in town we had a few hours to explore and find some souvenirs to take home.
Our day on Floreana began with a pre-breakfast outing along the coast of La Loberia. This is a great place to observe green sea turtles and sharks. Our guests also had the opportunity to go ashore at Post Office Bay and they learned about the human history of the early voyagers of the archipelago. We returned to National Geographic Delfina to have breakfast and to motor towards Champion Islet where we went on a coastal exploration and enjoyed a deep-water snorkeling excursion. This afternoon we went on a walk at Punta Cormorant where we admired the beauty of a flamboyant of flamingos and encountered a couple of green sea turtles mating.