The mission of the Charles Darwin Foundation and its Research Station is to provide knowledge and assistance through scientific research and complementary action to ensure the conservation of the environment and biodiversity in the Galápagos Archipelago.
On Lindblad Expeditions’ Galapagos Islands trips, children can watch extraordinary-looking birds, sea mammals, insects, and reptiles in their natural habitat.
What if your family vacation created more than just memories? What if it influenced the course of your child’s life? That is the wonderfully inspiring story
This morning, we traveled north through Wrangell Narrows, a 22-mile long, narrow, winding channel which is marked by 60 green and red navigation aids. Today’s low tide was extremely low, and at times there was very little water around (or under) the ship! When we arrived at the picturesque fishing town of Petersburg, we were free to explore independently, or to join a guided walk or bicycle tour of the area. Our day was capped off by a feast of locally caught Dungeness crab. Prior to dinner, an unusual expert provided an entertaining lesson on how to best eat this sort of crab.
We awoke to the south of Nordaustlandet and continued to push our way southward through the ice. This was definitely tricky navigation, and our bridge team did an amazing job of weaving our way through the sea ice. We saw many fox and bear tracks in the ice, foreshadowing what was to come. After lunch we made our way to a spot off the east coast of Barentsoya and found a wonderful open area where we were able to offer Zodiac cruises, kayak operations, and the polar plunge! In the middle of recap, we heard that the bridge had spotted a mom and cub bear which we watched for some time in beautiful light. What a way to finish the evening!
This morning, National Geographic Orion approached Espiritu Santo cruising down Segond Channel. This channel was the location of the United States Naval Advance Base during WWII and is the site of the famous wreck, SS President Coolidge . The troop transporter was carrying 5000 troops when it struck two mines and sank within ninety minutes. After exploring the WWII museum in Luganville and other sites, we headed to Million Dollar Point for an early lunch. Walking the coast at low tide, we could see the debris from the material the US Navy left in the ocean rather than shipping it back to the US or selling it to the French, who were controlling this area of Vanuatu at the time. From there we explored the east coast of the island and stopped at a beach for an amazing demonstration of water music that has been passed down from grandmother to mother to daughter for many centuries. Standing in the water, this family made amazing music using their hands to drum the water. From there we continued along the coast to the Matevulu Blue Hole, one of Espiritu Santo’s famous freshwater pools. It was a perfect ending to our incredible time in Vanuatu.
This morning, we visited Espinosa Point located on the northeast side of Fernandina Island. We walked along the coastline to enjoy the volcanic landscape and the Galapagos marine iguanas piled one on top of the other. Some of us found quite a few Galapagos snakes looking to prey on the iguana babies exiting their nests. Flightless cormorants courting, Galapagos sea lions nursing, and hawks mating made it a perfect and beautiful morning excursion. In the afternoon, National Geographic Endeavour II repositioned on the south of the same island to see the lava flows reach the ocean. Meanwhile, we enjoyed the wine tasting on the sun deck as the sun set. It was simply amazing!
The morning found National Geographic Endurance underway from Terceira to Santa Maria in the Azore islands. The expedition team scoured the ocean for cetaceans and sea birds and yielded a long-tailed jaeger and the elusive Bulwer’s petrel. Dolphins road the bow briefly and time was spent watching presentations and enjoying the ship’s many onboard amenities. In the afternoon, National Geographic Endurance came alongside in Vilo do Porto and we were treated to an amazing picnic in Reserva Florestal de Recreio de Fontinhas.