Navy vet Neil O'Connor was a guest aboard National Geographic Orion this past season. Here is the story of this 91 year old's poignant return to the island of Attu in the Aluetian Islands chain.
See spectacular wildlife photos taken aboard National Geographic Orion in the Bering Sea. National Geographic photographers captured brown bears, arctic fox, killer whales, bald eagles and many other animals in the region.
The islands and coasts that ring the Bering Sea are teeming with birdlife and fascinating land mammals like muskox, arctic fox, and brown bears; while the surrounding waters are churning with whales, seals, otters, and more.
Inhabited mainly by wildlife and strikingly picturesque, the Kuril Islands are a land of extremes—of snow and volcanoes, of sea lions and arctic foxes. Learn more about this remote and remarkable place.
Welcome to the Palouse River! Today was a bright, clear, sunny, happy day spent exploring this 167-mile tributary flowing into the Snake River. Zodiac tours zipped guests upriver in search of waterfowl and birds of prey, surrounded by stunning columnar basalt cliffs, volcanic remnants of ancient igneous activity across the Columbia River Basin. Coaches took guests to overlook the 198-foot waterfall crashing powerfully down into a torrent of rapids and beauty. It was a gorgeous day here, anchored upriver of the Lower Monumental Damn as we look forward to more adventures, amazing birds, and splendid wine.
National Geographic Sea Bird made her way east along the Columbia River. We awoke today at Crow Butte Island in a new ecosystem. Beautiful grasslands will be the backdrop for the rest of our voyage. This morning, we landed in our Zodiacs onto the beach of Crow Butte Island. It was a perfect day to learn about the natural history of this region and take photographs. We spent the afternoon aboard National Geographic Sea Bird enjoying the sundeck and presentations. Guests also watched from the bow as we transited through the McNary Lock in the afternoon. The sunset painted the sky with beautiful colors as we sailed onward down the Columbia River.
Today we reached Aotearoa, New Zealand, the last full day of our incredible journey all the way from the Solomon Islands, a distance of over 2,000 miles. We have seen the range of cultures present on the many islands we visited, connecting the Melanesian and Polynesian people. We visited the historic Waitangi Treaty Grounds, known as the founding place of the nation, and we experienced the pōwhiri (welcome) that starts in front of Te Whare Rūnanga. Afterward, we went inside for a cultural performance that included the waiata (songs), poi, and a traditional haka (war dance). After this performance we reciprocated by singing the traditional song E Toru Nga, an emotional and moving end to our journey.
There is only one island in Galapagos where the frigates nest year-round, it’s North Seymour, a flat, small, uplifted site full of wildlife. We visited before breakfast because of the early activity of these creatures. We spotted lots of wildlife and the walk was exciting for our guests. In the afternoon we moved to Rabida Island and once there, we snorkeled among sea lions and multicolor fish. On our way back to National Geographic Islander II we got a surprise visit from a humpback whale swimming by the bay. Walking along the red beach of the island was memorable as we were accompanied by a beautiful sunset that colored the sky in shades of orange.
We started the day with a visit to a working farm owned by a family on Saunders Island. The main product of this farm is wool, and being that it’s the start of spring, sheering had just begun. We were able to see the whole process and marvel at the skill and speed of the workers sheering and selecting the wool. After the visit our guests were treated to an incredible barbecue lunch at the farm. In the afternoon, we repositioned the ship to another side of the island to visit the sea bird colonies. We saw a large black-browed albatross colony and just a few hundred meters away, a colony of southern rockhopper penguins. We had time to explore the area and understand more about the behaviors of these incredible birds, including their courtship rituals and how they care for their eggs. The breeding season has just started but we could see that there were already several nests with eggs in them.