7/12/2024
4 Min Read
Our fleet navigates the world in search of adventure. These are the stories they bring back…
Featured Articles
7/12/2024
4 Min Read
Ahead of her expeditions with us, Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, talks about her storied career.
7/12/2024
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In this Expedition Spotlight, learn from naturalist Max Vindas about Guanacaste’s stunning biodiversity.
In Brief
6/28/2024
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This week, our field staff sent back amazing photos of a stunning performance in Indonesia, Norway's fjords, and one of the rarest birds in the Galápagos.
6/14/2024
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This week's photos from the field celebrate animals: wildlife in Alaska, the Arctic, and the Galapagos Islands; and not-so-wildlife in the Scottish Highlands.
5/31/2024
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This week's photos from the field included rare wildlife in the Peruvian Amazon, majestic landscapes in Alaska and Norway, and a spectacular sunset in Indonesia.
5/24/2024
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This week's photos included wildlife in the Galápagos Islands and the Peruvian Amazon; landscapes in Norway and Indonesia; and the northern lights in Alaska.
7/25/2024
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Delfin II
Today we had the great opportunity to start exploring the riverbank of the Ucayali River. We loaded the skiffs right after sunrise. As we cruised along the riverbank, different species of birds were seen. A highlight of that early exploration was the sighting of a tayra, a small omnivorous creature in the weasel family, that didn’t stay long in our view. After breakfast, we walked through Yanallpa flooded forest. Here our naturalist explained to us the importance of the floods for the Amazon forest. They also pointed out the effect of climate change over the area and how it has changed the use of the soils after the floods. It was a morning of learning about how the forest has manage to adapt to the seasonal floods and how fish and other animals depends on those events. Our late afternoon activities were held on Dorado River. Our naturalists brought out spotlights after sunset. Black caimans and spectacled caimans were the major attraction for our guests. Other night dwellers were also spotted by our naturalists, such as fishing bats, boat-billed night herons, night jars, and many other animals were seen by our guests. It was another awesome day exploring the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
7/25/2024
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National Geographic Resolution
Ilulissat means, “place with many icebergs” and it certainly lives up to its reputation. Our whole day was spent exploring glacial ice near this beautiful settlement. We were fortunate to visit the Ilulissat Icefjord UNESCO World Heritage Site, where we had a lovely walk along the boardwalk to enjoy the magnificent views of the icebergs floating in the fjord. Afterwards we visited the Icefjord Centre where we learned how glaciers are formed, how they move, calve, and produce icebergs. Later, the immense size of these magnificent icebergs became even more evident as we sailed in between them on local boats. What a wonderful day!
7/25/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
We woke this morning with thick cozy fog as National Geographic Endurance danced between islands in the archipelago of the Westman Islands on the morning of the last day of our voyage. We were visited by a number of fin whales before continuing on to circumnavigate Surtsey. We sailed into the narrow harbor opening of Heimaey, Westman Islands as the sun broke through the clouds. Heimaklettur (Home Cliff) welcomed us with a stunning vista of Icelandic sheep balancing on sheer cliffs. Our afternoon was spent touring the tiny island of Heimaey (Home Island). Some chose the scenic panoramic tour which stopped at amazing vistas and lookout points, including one of the windiest points in the northern hemisphere, Stórhöfði, a bird blind on the southernmost point and a visit to the Eldheimar Volcano Museum which artfully portrays the history of the 1973 Eldfell eruption. Some of us chose to climb up the Eldfell Volcano through a layer of dense fog towards the top. We enjoyed views of the new lava that nearly shut down the harbor, which would have meant an end to the town of Heimaey. At the very end of the day, after sailing away, we stumbled upon a pod of killer whales! What a marvelous ending to a wonderful day. Tomorrow, we scatter different directions, going our separate ways but holding on to some fabulous and everlasting memories.
7/25/2024
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National Geographic Orion
We arrived at Swift Bay where most of us went on a fabulous helicopter ride over the Mitchell Plateau. The whole trip took two hours including a walk at Mitchell Falls. The little bay we started from slowly filled with water and the tide was so fast that it rose more than one meter per hour. Alternatively, our expedition team took those on a Zodiac cruise who opted to stay on the ground. When we returned, the scenery looked entirely different. After lunch we had another exciting tour, this time to a Wandjina art site. We admired a long gallery of ancestral spirits, some three meters long, as well as a variety of animals, which are significant to the local Aboriginal people. This is evidence that hunting and gathering was practiced thousands of years ago and is documented in art. The ship set off towards Darwin and we enjoyed an excellent presentation by Brad Siviour about the crocodiles we had come so close to yesterday. The day concluded with our favorite drink during cocktail hour while we witnessed another red sky sunset.
7/24/2024
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Delfin II
This morning, we learned all about oxbow lakes with our visit to Clavero Lake, which was formed when the river changed its course. The communities around the lake fish, so we stopped at a fishing canoe and spoke with a fisherman about the techniques they use and the type of fish they’ve been catching. The barracuda caught everyone’s eye given the very large teeth it has! The fisherman also talked about the birds that follow along, catching any fish they throw away, such as the great black hawk we saw. On our way back to Delfin II , we stopped along the way to have a nice refreshing swim. In the afternoon, we went exploring Supay Creek, and as always, the scenery was stunning with some lovely reflections in the water. To add to our growing mammal list, we saw a group of four coppery titi monkeys. For birds, we had an unusual sighting of the bright blue plum-throated cotinga. We’re getting used to a nice variety of birds, including some of our favorites like the yellow-headed caracara, which allowed us to get quite close before flying away.