From a spectacular sunrise over Antarctic ice to a rare "green flash" sighting in California's Channel Islands National Park, the skies were especially beautiful this week.
Waking up to blue skies and humpback whales, we commenced our morning operations at Spert Island. On the agenda was a Zodiac cruise weaving through the narrow channels that run through the tall basalt cliffs. On return to National Geographic Resolution , the hotel team provided everyone with a surprise BBQ on deck eight, which we all enjoyed while watching humpback whales feeding around us. We then detoured slightly to Deception Island on our way over to the Weddell Sea.
This morning, National Geographic Quest visited the Rio Seco Rainforest, nestled within the Piedras Blancas National Park in Costa Rica. Accessible only by boat, the area offers an untouched tropical paradise. Guests hiked through the lush rainforest and explored a vibrant tropical garden. The birdwatching was exceptional, with sightings of parrots, toucans, scarlet macaws, tanagers, and more. After returning to the ship for lunch, we repositioned to Golfito. There, we embarked on a kayak tour and Zodiac rides where we observed sloths, monkeys, iguanas, and an abundance of birdlife. It was a fantastic day filled with wildlife encounters and natural beauty!
San Cristobal Island has the nickname of “Isla Bonita” (Beautiful Island) for a reason. We had an excellent last day of the expedition. The morning was full of excitement by the number of birds we spotted in the area, especially the beautiful red-footed boobies that we saw for the first time. Our day finished with some leisure time at one of the most beautiful beaches in the Galapagos. Cerro Brujo has one of the finest, softest, and whitest sands in the archipelago. Some of our guests went for a stroll along the beach, some went swimming, and we had a stretching session there. It was the perfect way to end this magnificent adventure in the Galapagos.
Our day started early with a wakeup call from Expedition Leader Michael Jackson to remind us to watch as the ship entered Neptune’s Bellows, the narrow entrance into the center of Deception Island. The day was a little overcast and there was a light breeze, which added to the atmosphere as we could see the beaches of Whaler’s Bay steaming all around. Quickly after breakfast, the Zodiacs started taking us to shore. We had the option of a short, medium, or long walk around the main sites. The long hikers took off for a quest on Roland’s Hill whilst the medium set for Neptune’s Window. We were excited to see three different types of seals on our walk: elephant seal, Weddell seal, and a very large leopard seal! We then returned to the ship for a briefing and lunch while the ship repositioned to Half Moon Island. Then it was time to load up the Zodiacs again. A quick run to the shore and we arrived at the beach to take a lovely, gentle hike across the snow-covered island to a chinstrap penguin colony and also to a group of Weddell seals snoozing on the snow. All too soon it was time to head back to the ship in time for the captain’s farewell and our last dinner together. What an amazing day!!
What an unforgettable day full of surprises in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea! Our morning began with beautiful light and the surreal scenery of tabular icebergs merging into the sea ice as National Geographic Endurance sailed along the northeast corner of Snow Hill Island. The first activity of the day was kayaking and Zodiac cruising around the sea ice edge. Adelie penguins were certainly surprised by our sudden arrival. A few curious individuals came closer to get a look at us—funny-looking orange penguins on yellow kayaks. After lunch, we headed out again, this time to walk on the sea ice. To our amazement, two emperor penguins decided to join us on the ice. It was such a delight to witness the bonding of this pair, the most elusive of all Antarctic penguins. After dinner, just when we thought the day couldn’t possibly get any better, we were invited to walk on the ice once more. Once again, we were delighted by a few emperor penguins and otherworldly light.
