Floreana Island, 8/21/2022, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
Galápagos
Humans played an important role in the history of Floreana Island. The island was severely impacted when humans introduced many different animals. People left behind the animals, which led to serious harm.
Despite this impact, we still had the privilege to see a lot of native and endemic wildlife. The Galapagos National Park has a mission to continue helping to restore this island.
Walter was born in a very small town on the mainland of Ecuador. His first trip to the Galápagos was when he was 12 years old, visiting friends and aunt, who had moved to the islands. From the first moment he saw the Islands, he fell in love with the...
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Today we started our first full day in the Galapagos. Our guests were excited to spot the very popular Galapagos penguin. Besides the geology and the stunning scenery, this island is home to incredible wildlife. After the hike, we returned to the ship for breakfast before heading out once again to the beach for snorkeling and other fun activities. After an incredible morning, we sailed to Cerro Dragón to observe the stunning Galapagos land iguanas at Dragon Hill. We also spotted shore birds and flamingos. We ended our day with a spectacular sunset. What a great day!
It is the last day of our expedition, and we visited San Cristobal Island. This island is inhabited, but our expedition took us to one of the most remote areas of this island. Punta Pitt is home to many birds that nest here as well, such as blue-footed boobies and red-footed boobies. We also found several frigatebirds nesting by the cliffs. This area provided spectacular views and wonderful wildlife sightings during the whole walk. In the afternoon, we disembarked with our guests at Cerro Brujo Beach, one of the largest and most magnificent beaches in the Galapagos. Sea lions are the welcoming party at this place, the beach is white, and its sand very soft. There’s no better way to end our expedition!
We woke up to the beautiful view of Gardner Bay off the coast of the oldest of the Galapagos Islands. After breakfast, we went to explore a long white sandy beach in search of wildlife. Along the beach, we encountered a small colony of sea lions, Espanola lava lizards, hood mockingbirds, and a few species of Darwin finches. After the walk at the beach, we went deep water snorkeling around Gardner Islet. We encountered a few playful Galapagos sea lions and several Pacific green sea turtles resting on the bottom of the ocean. Snorkeling was a blast! We saw large schools of fish, as well as plenty of marine invertebrates on the vertical wall. After lunch, we navigated towards Punta Suarez, another land visitor site on Espanola. Punta Suarez offers the opportunity to see the waved albatross, a species of bird endemic to Espanola. We encountered large colonies of marine iguanas along the trail, sea lion pups, and a large colony of Nazca boobies. This hike is breathtaking; we spotted many blue-footed boobies with chicks and others in their courtship display. During the hike, we even spotted a couple of Galapagos hawks soaring in the sky. After the hike, we returned to National Geographic Islander II to continue exploring the enchanted archipelago.