The highly maneuverable 48-guest National Geographic Gemini is geared for discovery in the Galápagos with expedition tools and onboard experiences that will expand your understanding of this legendary destination.
Santa Cruz Island is the most inhabited island in the Galapagos and the economic capital of the Galapagos Archipelago. Puerto Ayora, the main town, is friendly and safe and the island itself has lots to offer visitors. Today we visited a few of these places. Early in the morning we went to El Trapiche Ecologico, a farm where they produce their goods in the most artisanal way possible. Their coffee, chocolate, and moonshine are amazingly good, using techniques from the olden days. We also explored Los Gemelos, two sinkholes surrounded by a forest formed by endemic trees, and then we rode to Manzanillo Farm where we were greeted with a delicious lunch and giant tortoises In the afternoon we went to see the rearing center for giant tortoises back in Puerto Ayora and then returned to National Geographic Islander II for dinner and a show.
It was a windy but lovely day on the Palouse River. This morning, we got a chance to take Zodiac tours up the Palouse River, through the reeds, and past the stunning columnar basalt of this incredible ecosystem. Guests saw a porcupine relaxing in a tree, heard the hypnotic singing of red-winged blackbirds, and some even saw a muskrat! How cool! Then folks transferred for a bus ride overlooking the 200-foot-tall Palouse Falls Waterfall upriver. After some afternoon kayaking and a history presentation from our Historian Doug Kenck-Crispin, we pulled anchor and made way along the Snake River to tomorrow’s destination, Walla Walla, Washington!
Our first day started as it should, in proper expedition style! We dropped the Zodiacs at 08:00 with 35 knots of wind and we enjoyed a wavy, sunny, and warm ride to the landing site at Fogo Island. We spent the day exploring the caldera, enjoying the volcanic landscape, and tasting traditional local food and wines from the island before coming back and dressing up for the captain’s welcome dinner. It was a truly fantastic first day of our Macaronesia expedition!
Our day started with an invigorating hike to the top of a cinder cone known as Punta Pitt, located in the northeastern region of San Cristobal Island. After we returned from our hike, we started a great scenic navigation along the coast of San Cristobal on our way to Cerro Brujo. This afternoon we arrived at Cerro Brujo and had the chance to explore its coast by kayak along an impressive cliff made of volcanic cinder. Large fissures and caves have been carved over a long period of time by the action of waves and wind. We ended the afternoon with a navigation around Leon Dormido accompanied by a beautiful sunset.
As the warm/rainy season still reigns in the archipelago, we started our day with an early morning hike to beat the equatorial sun. We first explored a young lava flow on Santiago Island that faces Sulivan Bay and were amazed by the contrasting colors of iron-oxide lava. We returned to our cozy ship for a delicious breakfast and finished the morning with a relaxing beach visit. After a well-deserved rest and an amazing lunch, we went for a snorkeling excursion along the coastline of the iconic Bartolomé Island. We finished our day by going up 368 steps to a viewpoint with a strategic spot to observe some of the islands that make up the Galapagos Archipelago.
