Today is New Year’s Eve, and we started our day by visiting an island with large seabird nesting colonies. North Seymour is home of the largest magnificent frigatebird colony in the Galapagos, and today we walked amongst these incredible creatures! Blue-footed boobies displayed their amazing blue feet, and land iguanas were found in large numbers. The afternoon took us to one of the few red sand beaches in the world, where flamingos and sea lions were the highlight.
3/25/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Floreana Island
As the early morning rays began to peek over the cone spattered profile of Floreana Island, our early bird guests woke to greet the day with a kayak excursion and Zodiac cruise along the shores. During their exploration, guests encountered juvenile blacktip sharks, marine turtles, rays, sleepy sea lions, and many birds, including a rare sighting of the white tern! After a delicious breakfast in the Beagle Grill, everyone headed out to further explore Post Office Bay, the lands where whalers, pirates, and the first colonizers of Galapagos explored. The group visited the ingenious Post Office barrel to continue a long existing tradition of hand delivering mail around the world. Afterward, we went deep into the earth (~30m) via a lava tunnel to explore the beautiful geological formations created by volcanoes. The day was far from over, as these were only the morning activities. After lunch everyone enjoyed a spectacular snorkel at Champion Islet where they encountered colorful reef fish, sea lions, rainbow runners, and more. A peaceful walk around Punta Cormorant at sunset to view flamingos and a storytelling session of the human history from Gaby after dinner, was the perfect way to finish a beautiful day.
