Isabela & Fernandina Islands, 4/30/2019, National Geographic Islander
Aboard the
National Geographic Islander
Galápagos
These two islands comprise over 60 percent of the total land mass in Galapagos; they are also home to the most active volcanoes across the archipelago. Volcanic activity can be expected every couple of years. The last occurrence, which took place just a few months ago, was perhaps the most active eruption to occur in the past century and added several miles of land for Galapagos as a result.
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...
Liza fell in love with the ocean as a child growing up on the
Ecuadorian coast. Her passion for storytelling and photography began at the age
of seven, when she began filming her friends as they recreated stories from her
parents' library. Liza later...
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North Seymour is an incredible visitor site where guests can walk along colonies of nesting sea birds, like frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies. As we walked across this very dry island, we observed not only birds but land iguanas, playful baby sea lions, and a few marine iguanas. In the afternoon we had our first snorkel of the week at the exotic Island of Rabida, which has a very rare type of sand. Its sand is red, as the lava which created it has a high content of iron that oxidizes with time. Along the coast, many colorful fish can be found, including whitetip reef sharks, and some guests even spotted an octopus! After a quick change of clothes, we took our guests to explore the brackish water lagoon that is located behind this beach, and a big surprise was waiting for us. Flamingos are often found here in their natural habitat, and they are not afraid of humans so it’s possible to see them up close.
We spent the day at my home island, Santa Cruz. We boarded buses and off we went to the Highlands. First, we went to El Trapiche farm, owned by Mr. Adriano Cabrera. This farm reminded us how challenging it was for the first settlers to live in the Galapagos Archipelago. Then we visited Los Gemelos located at 1,900 feet and mostly cover by clouds. The light, constant drizzle sustains the remnants of the Scalesia forest. We had lunch at Rancho El Manzanillo and then we put on boots and were very happy to observe the Santa Cruz giant tortoises in their natural environment. Finally, we visited the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center before heading back to National Geographic Islander. Galapagos is full of interesting experiences!
On the last full day of our expedition, National Geographic Islander II took us to San Cristobal Island. This is one of the few places where the three species of boobies can be seen in the same outing. We climbed Mount Pitt in the morning. The area is very dry and to observe all these species in their natural habitat is such a great experience for our guests. To add to this, the landscape is just exceptional. As we came back to the beach, a small group of Galapagos sea lions were there to greet us. The most heart-warming were a female and her pup that were peacefully resting on the shoreline. In the afternoon, we disembarked at Cerro Brujo for our last experience at sea during this expedition. This place is perfect for relaxing, swimming, and taking some last few photographs of sea lions, which can never be can too many! To end this voyage, we enjoyed the sunset while circumnavigating around one of the most famous landmarks on San Cristobal, Kicker Rock.