Today we visited Santiago Island. The morning was spent at the historical site, Buccaneer’s Cove. The incredible landscape and its rich and clear waters brought us back to the time when whalers were common in the Archipelago. It was amazing to take the Zodiacs and explore the coast. Simultaneously, eager kayakers were taking advantage of the current along the coast. Snorkeling was fantastic today, with large schools of colorful fish, sharks, Galapagos sea lions, and even a manta ray. In the afternoon, we hiked at Puerto Egas, the last opportunity to encounter the ecologically naïve animals of the Galapagos. What a fantastic week we enjoyed in paradise!
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.