The Amazon crowns the top of most world travelers’ bucket lists, and for good reason. The colossal river and its surrounding jungle are home to a thriving wonderland of plants and animals, not to mention a rainforest that serves as the oxygen-producing lifeblood of our planet. While the Amazon will always be a must-see, there are four less-traveled destinations in this region of South America that teem with their own unique natural wonders.
These rare sights from South America and beyond take some effort to visit, but you’ll be wholly rewarded when you arrive. Here are five wonders to be discovered—if you’re willing to go the distance.
The holiday season is special to us all, but it is especially meaningful to our incredible crew who spend months at sea away from their families and loved ones. The crew of National Geographic Orion is incredibly creative in showing us all their Christmas spirit and a much-loved tradition is the annual Christmas door decoration contest.
Today we explored northern Santa Cruz at Cerro Dragón, which is the leeward side of the island. We started the day with a morning walk through the dry vegetation and we were lucky enough to encounter the endemic yellow Galapagos land iguanas that were exploring the area looking for food. To continue our day, we stopped by Borrero Bay, and we had the opportunity to learn about and observe the wonderful mangrove ecosystem. From its value as nurturing grounds to its economic value to the local community and tourism, we learned the importance of the mangroves.
The holiday spirit flows through National Geographic Orion on Christmas day. Sailing between New Zealand and New Caledonia, the team took the time for a family photo of the entire staff and crew. After Christmas brunch the National Geographic Orion family enjoyed a presentation on traditional Polynesian navigation by our esteemed cultural expert Tua Pitman. Hotel Manager Fran then spoiled us all with a fortune hunt, games, and prizes. As black-winged petrels soared above the Coral Sea, we gathered one last time as Dive Master Mike Desiderio teased us with a trivia contest. Though we may be far from home, National Geographic Orion provides us all with a sense of family love and tenderness during this celebrated season.
Merry Christmas from National Geographic Endurance which just arrived in Antarctica! It is not a bad Christmas morning when the first thing one does is step foot on the Antarctic Continent to be greeted by penguins! After a day of sailing, we arrived at the South Shetlands and made our very first landing at Barrientos Island. Already at the beach, we saw gentoos and chinstrap penguins, that seemed to be awaiting our arrival. It was only a short walk to the colonies and there we could see penguins laying on their eggs and even a few recently hatched chicks! After the great make-your-own-pasta-bar lunch, the next activity was a landing at Half Moon Island. There we chose between a long or shorter hike to get a Christmas Day leg stretch and see even more penguins. After a busy day of outings, it was time for the first recap of the journey and then finally Christmas dinner, where the Christmas buffet awaited guests with some of the best food there is. Today was definitely a Christmas Day to remember!
Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays from National Geographic Venture ! Today we spent a sunny, bright morning cruising south through the Gulf of California searching for wildlife - and wildlife did we find! Breakfast ended early after an exciting interruption by a mom and a calf fin whale traveling alongside the ship! It was a truly fun surprise. After lunch, guests scrambled into wetsuits and snorkels for an afternoon snorkel off San Marcial. Underwater life fluttered around in flashes of fish, pufferfish, and even a few moray eels! After a quick turnaround, guests went to shore for a series of hikes in this incredible desert environment as we ended the day enjoying the sunset on the sun deck with drinks and appetizers before a Mexican style buffet dinner!
