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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We started early in the morning with a pre-breakfast outing on South Plaza Island. We found many Galapagos land iguanas and sea lions and also learned about the hard conservation work that the national park has done here. We ended the morning with a remarkable kayaking outing to admire the amazing wildlife of the island. In the afternoon, we headed to Santa Fe Island where we went for a deep-water snorkeling excursion to enjoy the endemic marine wildlife, including playful sea lions and Pacific green sea turtles. Afterward, we hiked deep into the island to find the unique Santa Fe land iguana and the Galapagos hawk. It was a very special experience in this Ecuadorian paradise!
Our wonderful day in paradise started when Expedition Leader Jonathan Aguas announced over the PA system, “We are going to leave early because we’ve spotted dolphins!” Off we went in our Zodiacs for an experience of a lifetime, hundreds of bottlenose dolphins surrounded us. This was just the start of an incredible day on San Cristobal Island! We hiked at Punta Pitt and spotted all the species of boobies found in the archipelago: blue-footed, Nazca, and red-footed boobies. The scenery on this eroded tuff cone was breathtaking. The afternoon was spent at one of most beautiful beaches in the world, Cerro Brujo. The white, powdery sand beach is home to a large colony of Galapagos sea lions. Galapagos is a magical place!
Today, our adventure began early with a special pre-breakfast kayaking option for our early risers. We paddled along the calm waters of Gardner Bay. It was a stunning experience as we encountered marine turtles gliding gracefully through the water and playful sea lions. Along the shore, blue-footed boobies and a few pelicans delighted our guests with their presence, making the early morning outing truly magical. After breakfast, we set off for a spectacular snorkeling session around Gardner Islet. The underwater world was alive with sea turtles, and curious sea lions swam circles around us. Next, we landed on the pristine white sands of Gardner Beach. Here, we had the unique opportunity to interact with the Española mockingbird, a species endemic to this island. In the afternoon, we had a dry landing at Punta Suárez, one of the island's most iconic spots. As we walked further inland, we encountered the Nazca booby, the largest of the three booby species found in the Galápagos. But the real star of the day was the waved albatross, the largest seabird in the archipelago and endemic to these islands. We spotted several of these majestic birds along the trail, including many albatross chicks whose brownish-gray plumage blended perfectly with the surrounding vegetation.
