It's always exciting to celebrate our ships' return to a region they haven't visited since 2019: this week, we've finally returned to Canada. Our field staff also sent in photos from our expeditions in the Arctic, the Pacific Northwest, French Polynesia, and the Galápagos.
Today, National Geographic Islander visited Floreana Island. We started the day very early with a kayaking sunrise in Barona Bay. We enjoyed the morning surrounded by sea turtles, sea lions, and blue-footed boobies. This was also our opportunity to visit the famous Post Office Barrel, where we can follow the mail system tradition. After a delicious breakfast, we headed to the water on Champion Island to explore the underwater world. During the afternoon, we visited Punta Cormorant. We spent time on a green sandy beach and observed bright pink flamingos. Our day was impressive, but we cannot wait for the night to arrive! Tonight we will have a lunar eclipse, and we are in the right place to see it. What an exceptional day onboard National Geographic Islander .
The sun was bright as we anchored off the coast of Española Island. Our first activity of the day was snorkeling. We got on the Zodiac and rode to Gardner Islet. The water was crystal-clear, inviting us to swim. We jumped in the refreshing sea to find ourselves accompanied by a group of juvenile sea lions. These lovely animals are very curious and decided to come play with us. They were getting so close; at one point, a guest saw them swimming just an inch away! We kept swimming near very big shoals of different species of fish. In the middle of the fish, our sea lion friends appeared once again. They swam in circles, attracted by us, and us to them, strange figures floating around. We came out of the water to spend some leisurely time on the sandy beach of Gardner Bay. The soft white sand was the perfect place to walk. The main attractions were the sea lions as they relaxed and stretched on the sand. It was an outstanding morning. National Geographic Endeavour II moved to our next place for exploration, Suarez Point. We watched waves breaking along the shoreline, a show so mesmerizing we could spend hours staring at it. We landed and prepared to begin our hike. Marine iguanas greeted us. The ones from Española are the most colorful of the marine iguanas. We walked through a colony of Nazca boobies; a few hatchlings and juveniles seemed very curious about our presence. Listening to the boobies whistle and honk as they arrived to their nests was like a melody. We heard a thunder-like sound in the distance and moved to check it out. It was the blowhole. With the strong waves crashing, it sounded louder and stronger than usual. The water blowing into the air created a stela, which made a beautiful rainbow appear and then disappear after a few seconds. We saw the waved albatross; this time of the year, they come to Española to breed. The courtship of these birds is very elegant. They dance as if they are starting a waltz, bowing to each other before moving their feet in such an odd way. They look so proper for marine birds on land. It is very cute when they rub their beaks together, almost like they are kissing. We observed some couples with an egg. The parents gave the impression of being proud. We came back onboard as the sun was about to set. The colors were incredible. It was just the first day of an extraordinary week to come.
Several orcas graced our presence as we woke up for our last morning in Canadian waters and waited to be granted entry into the United States. Three dorsal fins danced above the waterline, offering fleeting glances of the beautiful black and white giants hidden below. A charter vessel skillfully pulled alongside to bring customs and border protection officers onto National Geographic Sea Bird . They checked that all passports were present and correct before wishing us a safe passage. Many a day in Misty Fjords National Monument is indeed spent shrouded in mist, but we spent our day enjoying the beautiful sunshine that greeted us on the US side of the border. Heading up into Behm Canal, we passed by Eddystone Rock, a volcanic plug that had been launched and deposited in the middle of the strait–an oddity compared to the rocks on either side. As we navigated into narrower and narrower fjords, we increasingly appreciated our miniature size compared to the granitic cliffs towering above us. We made a brief stop in Punchbowl Cove and appreciated the sheer cliffs that were carved during the last glacial retreat. Our destination for the afternoon was the end of Rudyerd Bay, where the ship passed through Owl Pass to reveal a secluded bay for Zodiac tours and kayaking. Highlights in the bay included bald eagles, basking harbor seals, black-legged kittiwakes, pigeon guillemots, Barrow’s goldeneye, surf scoters, and harlequin ducks.
Today, National Geographic Islander arrived to Bartolome Island in the early hours of the day. As soon as we had breakfast, we disembarked to visit the top of Bartolome, where we had an outstanding view of the wild volcanic landscape of the island. Meanwhile, some guests went for the first snorkeling experience of the week. Everyone came back very happy. They observed so many of the iconic creatures found on these islands, such as Galapagos sea lions, frigatebirds, Sally Lightfoot crabs, Galapagos penguins, and countless species of fish. After a delicious meal in the afternoon, we visited Cerro Dragon on the north coast of Santa Cruz Island. This area hosts a population of Galapagos land iguanas. We found a number of iguanas walking along the trail as they fed on the lush, green vegetation of the island. Very soon, the landscape will be so dry that prickly pear cacti will be the only source of water for the iguanas until the next rains come in December. We ended the day with our traditional recapitulation, followed by a delicious meal onboard National Geographic Islander.
This morning, we boarded skiffs soon after dawn and motored off into dense fog! Every day something different awaits us. We saw and photographed a good number of colorful birds, and we spied a large green iguana perched on a horizontal branch. After breakfast, we hiked on the Casual Community trails. With help from our naturalists and an additional local man, we slipped along in the mud as we investigated palm trees, liana vines, and a huge strangler fig. We found several reptiles and amphibians. As always, we took many photos. Happily, it only rained today during our lunch and siesta time while we were all dry and comfortable on Delfin II . The afternoon was hot and sunny as we crossed the river to the Amazonas Community. The villagers were delighted to welcome us. We are the first group to visit them in two years, since the pandemic began.
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