Floreana Island, 3/4/2025, National Geographic Delfina
Aboard the
National Geographic Delfina
Galápagos
We spent the day on Floreana Island, one of the central islands of the Galapagos. In the morning we visited Post Office Bay, followed by an impressive snorkeling excursion at Champion Islet.
In the afternoon we visited Cormorant Point, a great place where we observed sea turtles and some species of seabirds, such as blue-footed boobies.
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.
Today aboard National Geographic Delfina we enjoyed the last full day of our expedition in the Galapagos Islands. Our guests had a wonderful time exploring Rabida Island, a magnificent place with a red-colored beach. The concentration of iron oxide makes this one of the most unique places in the world for geology. The day started with a wonderful kayaking session along the coast of Rabida, where our guests enjoyed spectacular views of the scenery with some sea lions passing by. After kayaking, we disembarked on the lovely beach and explored a brackish water lagoon where we observed flamingos, beautiful American oystercatchers, mockingbirds, and other migratory birds. Afterwards we enjoyed a snorkel session around the island and all the way back to the ship. A perfect way to finish our expedition in the beautiful Galapagos Islands.
Today aboard National Geographic Delfina we visited Santa Cruz Island for another day of exploration. We disembarked at the city pier and took some time to check out the city of Puerto Ayora, before then taking a bus ride into the highlands. Once in the highlands, we went to see the iconic Galapagos giant tortoises. We were lucky to see many roaming around the area, and our guests were able to take great pictures of themselves with the tortoises — a beautiful Christmas card picture. After visiting the tortoises, we walked over to a nice extension of the ranch, called “Galapagos Early Memories” from the Guerrero family; here our guests learned about the organic and sustainable production of sugar cane juice and moonshine. We enjoyed samples of these products and had a great time engaging with the local community.
National Geographic Delfina arrived at Puerto Villamil on Isabela Island, the most beautiful town in the Galapagos. Our guests were delighted to find lots of marine iguanas and sharks. We took a traditional bus (chiva) up to the Sierra Negra Volcano to explore the impressive sulfur fumaroles. A long hike took us to this spectacular moon-like place, full of rocks of different shapes and bright colors. It’s a truly extraordinary geological formation that left our guests in awe. After exploring the volcano, we had a delicious lunch at Campo Dura Ranch and then headed to town where our guests had some free time to enjoy the beach, local art, and small shops of this picturesque town on Isabela Island.
