Explore Galápagos

Expedition Stories

A Rare Encounter with a Pod of Narwhal

Guests aboard our Northwest Passage voyage on the National Geographic Endurance experienced a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, observing a pod of the most elusive animals in the Arctic, the narwhal. After spotting these incredible creatures in Croker Bay, Canada, our team quickly deployed Zodiacs and headed out to give guests a closer look.

Daily expedition reports

Daily Expedition Reports

9/22/2022

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National Geographic Resolution

At Sea to Mangavera, Gambier Islands

This leisurely day at sea gave us time to enjoy our wonderful ship. Lots of space everywhere, lots of windows that let in the abundant tropical light and plenty of outer decks to enjoy the gentle warm wind. Today we had presentations from our expert staff. It was a real treat to comfortably sit down at the Ice Lounge with a beverage of choice and soak in the knowledge. A lovely day at sea.

Daily Expedition Reports

9/22/2022

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National Geographic Endeavour II

Bartolome & Chinese Hat

Today we woke up for an early walk to the top of Bartolome, a satellite islet of Santiago Island. This relatively new island is a good place to appreciate new basaltic flows and different geological formations, such as tuff and spatter cones. The presence of pioneer plants, such as Tiquilia nesiotica and lava cacti, makes Bartolome a good place to understand how life started in the Galapagos as the first plants grew on newly formed islands. We also had a chance to explore below the water, where we had the opportunity to observe a number of fish. During lunch, we navigated towards Chinese Hat, a few miles away from Bartolome and next to Santiago Island. We observed the iconic Galapagos penguins basking on lava rocks. We also had one of the most magnificent snorkeling activities of the week, followed by a Zodiac ride. Guests had the chance to appreciate the outstanding landscape and wildlife of this place. We ended our day with a delicious barbeque dinner on National Geographic Endeavour II .

Daily Expedition Reports

9/22/2022

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National Geographic Endurance

Westfjords of Northwest Iceland

Today we headed for the famous Dynjandi Waterfall, located deep in the Westfjords of Northwest Iceland. The day started with overcast skies and flat and calm seas. On the way into the fjord, we encountered lots of feeding seabirds, including northern fulmars, northern gannets, auks, and sooty shearwaters. We observed up to ten humpback whales scattered around the fjord. Some of them entertained us with fantastic views in a mercury-like sea. After spending some time watching the whales, we headed for the waterfalls. Some of us took the three-mile hike to the falls, while the more sensible ones were dropped off at the foot of the falls. We spent a very enjoyable afternoon enjoying the sights and sounds of Dynjandi Waterfall and soaking up the richly coloured landscape, which looked like Mother Nature’s finest Persian carpet.

Daily Expedition Reports

9/21/2022

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National Geographic Resolution

Hao & Amanu, Tuamoto Archipelago

Today we arrived at the center of the Tuamoto Archipelago. In the morning we offered our guests another wonderful opportunity to snorkel in these warm and pristine turquoise waters. National Geographic Resolution held steady at the mouth of the Atoll, providing a perfectly sheltered platform for boarding Zodiacs. In the afternoon, we visited the little village of Amanu, and it was fantastic! Everybody in the village was there to receive us, starting with beautiful kids welcoming us with flower leis. This was followed by a buffet with all kinds of local delicacies/ We finished our visit with a walk through town escorted by the children. Truly fantastic!

Daily Expedition Reports

9/20/2022

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National Geographic Resolution

Tahanea Atoll, Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia

Entering the pass of an atoll in French Polynesia is always a beautiful way to start the day. This morning we arrived at Tahanea, a small island with no permanent population. The water here is some of the clearest our staff have ever seen in this region. With winds and currents to contend with, our divers found a beautiful site to spend some time underwater. They enjoyed a healthy coral reef, some sharks, and large fish. On their way back to the ship they even found some manta rays and jumped in the water to snorkel with them. The rest of us split into two groups: the hikers and the swimmers. The hike ashore was full of birds and plants to observe and photograph. The swimmers launched from the snorkel platform into crystal water where they poked around the coral heads and grew even more comfortable swimming with reef sharks. We had an afternoon aboard. We began with a presentation by our guest speaker Tom Ritchie about the most useful plants in Polynesia. At tea time, the hotel team put out 13 different sweet treats, not to mention the sandwiches and fruit. Before recap, undersea specialist James Hyde gave us a condensed history of the natural world—starting with the big bang! Tomorrow will be a busy day for us as we transit to some islands we have never visited before. So it’s quiet on board this evening as we all head to bed to rest up for whatever tomorrow has in store.

Joining us on any expedition means signing up for adventure; and the reward for your curiosity is inevitable—the most exhilarating experience of pure discovery possible.

Sven-Olof Lindblad

Ready for the adventure of a lifetime?

1.800.397.3348

1.800.397.3348