Today was the first full day of our expedition with National Geographic Islander II. Very early in the morning, we took Zodiacs to Bartolome Island, where we climbed a wooden staircase all the way to the top for one of the most iconic views of the Galapagos Islands. During our Zodiac ride, we spotted the only warm water penguin in the world, the Galapagos penguin, which is also the third smallest. We counted about nine of these adorable creatures. In the afternoon, we took a walk along Cerro Dragon, where we saw almost a dozen Galapagos land iguanas all over the trail. Then it was back to the ship for a sunset cocktail.
3/31/2025
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National Geographic Islander II
Española Island
Continuing with our expedition on board National Geographic Islander II , we went for an early stretching session with Wellness Specialist Gicela. It was a beautiful morning on a paradisaic beach with sea lions and stunning scenery. We found a royal tern, a vagrant bird from the Americas rarely seen in Galapagos. We also had the great surprise of finding our sister ship National Geographic Delfina (a luxury catamaran) anchored at the same location. Later, we relocated to Punta Suarez to explore this wonderful site. We had the opportunity to see many unique species, like marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, and the arrival of the waved albatross. These magnificent birds migrate south in December and around April they return to Española Island to find their mates and lay their eggs. It was a great way to end a day full of adventures and wildlife surprises.
