We spent the day at Espanola Island, one of the oldest islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. The island hosts a large number of seabirds, and it is the only nesting site of the waved albatross. In the morning, we visited Gardner Bay. This white sand beach is home to Galapagos sea lions, and it is a perfect place to enjoy time with these amazing animals. Then we went snorkeling at Gardner Islet with more playful sea lions! In the afternoon, we visited Punta Suarez, where we observed Nazca boobies. We walked by nesting waved albatrosses and were delighted to see blue-footed boobies, too. A perfect day in paradise!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 29 May 2022
Espanola Island, 5/29/2022, National Geographic Endeavour II
- Aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II
- Galápagos
Vanessa Gallo, Naturalist
Vanessa Gallo’s grandparents arrived in the Galápagos Islands in 1936, making her the third generation of her family to live and work in this magical archipelago. She left the islands for the capital city of Quito for high school, where she discovere...
Read MoreShare Report
Exploring Galápagos
VIEW ITINERARYRelated Reports
5/7/2025
Read
National Geographic Endeavour II
Santiago Island
We began our day with a very active snorkeling excursion, where some of our snorkelers saw several whitetip reef sharks, a few sea lions, and fish of all kinds. We also kayaked and went paddleboarding. The geological formations are impressive here, such as the world-famous praying monk that captured our attention while on a Zodiac ride. If that wasn’t enough, we had a few rounds of glass bottom boat rides, a fabulous tool that allows us to have a clear view of the fish, and especially those sharks. Soon after lunch, we had an adventurous wet landing on Puerto Egas, with its black sandy beach that we had all to ourselves. We walked along the shore and intertidal pools of Santiago with sightings of marine iguanas, sea lions, shore birds, and Galapagos fur seals. After cocktail hour and a fun recap, we enjoyed a barbeque dinner on the top deck.
5/7/2025
Read
National Geographic Gemini
Isabela Island
Isabela is the largest island in Galapagos and today we had the opportunity to explore Elizabeth Bay and Punta Moreno. These two visitor sites are very close but very different from one another. Elizabeth Bay is covered with black lava and a mangrove forest, which becomes a perfect shelter for many species. The bay is home to flamingos, brown pelicans, and white-cheeked pintail ducks. This combination is a good reflection of the colonization of flora and fauna of the Galapagos.