Floreana Island, 11/10/2024, National Geographic Islander II
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander II
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 impressive snorkeling at Champion Islet.
In the afternoon, we visited Cormorant Point, a great place where we observed sea turtles and several species of seabirds, including 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.
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Today was a wonderful day aboard National Geographic Islander II . In the morning, we visited North Seymour Island and took a walk surrounded by incredible wildlife. Blue-footed boobies perched on the dark lava rocks, their bright feet catching our attention immediately. Overhead, frigatebirds circled gracefully, while others rested in nests with their red pouches visible. Down on the sandy beach, sea lions lounged fearlessly, completely at ease as we watched them from a short distance. In the afternoon, we navigated to Rabida Island, famous for its red sand beaches. We started with snorkeling along a rocky wall, where we spotted a sea turtle gliding by and large schools of fish moving together in shimmering patterns. A curious sea lion darted through the water near us, adding a playful touch to the experience. Later, we kayaked along the calm coastline while some of us walked along the red sand beach. The golden light of the late afternoon made everything look warm and vivid. We stayed watching the colors shift across the sky before heading back to the ship, tired but happy from such a special day.
The whole day on Santa Cruz Island was full of wonders. We not only got to see the incredible wildlife, but we visited a lovely family-owned farmed to learn about the people of the Galapagos Islands and the ways of living in this incredible paradise. One of the highlights of the day for all was walking amongst the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands. There were more than a hundred of them; We definitely had a blast. Once back on board National Geographic Islander II, we met the local artisans who provided the Global Gallery with their wonderful handicrafts and got to listen and dance to the rhythms of the Galapagos.
San Cristobal Island has the nickname of “Isla Bonita” (Beautiful Island) for a reason. We had an excellent last day of the expedition. The morning was full of excitement by the number of birds we spotted in the area, especially the beautiful red-footed boobies that we saw for the first time. Our day finished with some leisure time at one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos. Cerro Brujo has one of the finest, softest, and whitest sands in the archipelago. Some of our guests went for a stroll along the beach, some went swimming, and we had a stretching session there. It was the perfect way to end this magnificent adventure in the Galapagos.