At the headwaters of the mighty Amazon lies the seasonally flooded forest of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. See what it’s like to explore its intricate network of jungle waterways.
On our inaugural photo expedition at the Napo Wildlife Center guests learned expert tips and tricks to capture the diversity of life in the surrounding rainforest.
Today we edged even closer towards Taiwan on our second to last day in Japan. We docked at lovely Ishigaki Island in the southern part of Okinawa prefecture and were greeted by a team of local women dressed in Okinawan kimono and dancing to traditional music. The Ishigaki Highlights tour began at Minsa Kogei Kan, a craft center specializing in the Minsa weaving technique from Okinawa that dates to the 16th century. The next stop was Ishigaki Yaima Village, which showcases relocated Yaeyama-style traditional residences and is home to a large number of squirrel monkeys. After enjoying a local music and dance performance, we enjoyed a glass-bottom boat ride on Kabira Bay before returning to the ship for lunch. Other groups enjoyed birding at Banna Park, riding in a traditional Okinawan fishing vessel called Sabani, or relaxing and snorkeling on Yonehara Beach. After lunch, shuttles offered a chance to explore the Ishigaki Town Center with its island vibe and fascinating confluence of Japanese, Chinese, and local Okinawan cultural influences.
From our docking in the Dalles, Oregon, guests from National Geographic Sea Lion traveled in buses along the Columbia River Historic Highway up to Rowena Crest. Commanding views from Rowena Crest highlighted the rapid change in vegetation from the temperate rain forest climate to a semi-arid steppe climate. Leaving Rowena Crest, guests next arrived at the Mosier Tunnels. Built in the early 1920s, the tunnels incorporate designs from Europe and connect the west-to-east passage on the Columbia River Historic Highway. One group of guests hiked 4.5 miles east while the others hiked west up to the tunnels and walked back. Along the way our guests spotted turkey vultures, Steller’s jay, scrub jay, and a variety of plants beginning to wind down for autumn and winter. The afternoon started with a visit to the Columbia Discovery Center; we enjoyed a raptor presentation, as well as fascinating exhibitions on the natural and cultural history throughout the Columbia River Basin Gorge. Leaving the museum, guests were invited to visit Rock Fort where Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery camped on both their outbound and return journeys from the Pacific Ocean. Next we returned to National Geographic Sea Lion , where guests joined staff on the bow as we transited The Dalles Lock and Dam. Afterwards we enjoyed cocktail hour, recap, and dinner. We finished the evening with an expert presentation on smartphone photography from our certified photo instructor, Chelsea Mayer.
“Ocian in view! Oh the joy!” As Merriweather Lewis once proclaimed, so we too took in the view of the mighty and roaring Pacific today. On our first day of activities, we split into two groups — the Big Horned Sheep and the Eagle — representing symbolic creatures on either end of our journey. Some of us first visited the nationally renowned Columbia River Maritime Museum. Epic images of man’s fight against the unwavering power of Mother Nature will stick in our minds; here we learned about the bravery of the Columbia River Bar Pilots, and the tragic conclusions of all the ill-fated ships attempting to cross the bar. The Columbia River Bar has claimed over 330 ships, making it the most hazardous bar on the west coast of North America, and giving it the nickname “Graveyard of the Pacific.” Inspired for our own adventure, we then headed to the Astoria Column. This monument to the town’s history is built atop a hill and provides a most excellent viewpoint. A few strong-feeling guests decided to take the spiral staircase to the top; some even launched small wooden planes in a joyous moment. Filled with tales of daring and rescue, we headed back to the ship to enjoy another fabulous meal. In the afternoon we took a peek at another prominent historical point for the area, with a trip over to Washington State and Cape Disappointment State Park. The gorgeous drive was lined with Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, and western hemlock, breaking in parts to give us views of the notorious ocean behind. A short hike took us up to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, where a volunteer ranger gave us an overview of the area. We explored the center, immersing ourselves into the rich history of Chinook culture, and how the world changed forever once the Corps of Discovery arrived. Lost in history, we eventually had to collect ourselves and return to our own mighty ship. We sailed upriver, tracing the path of Lewis and Clark to our next destination.
Our first day at sea led us through the fjord system Ísafjarðardjúp to Ísafjörður, the largest town in the Icelandic Westfjords. With 2,800 inhabitants, this town is the administrative and cultural center of the Westfjords. Initially, we planned to start our expedition by going straight from Reykjavík to Greenland, only spending some time in Iceland towards the end of our voyage. The beauty of traveling expedition style is that we can allow ourselves to change course if needed. Therefore, we opted for the Icelandic Westfjords while the ocean in the Denmark Strait calms down after a storm. In the morning, we split into groups. Some of us went driving through a tunnel to another fjord, Dýrafjörður, where we visited an old botanical garden, which was initially installed as an experiment by local people to see which ornamental plants could grow in the harsh Icelandic climate. Then we drove to the next fjord, Önundarfjörður, where we had a wonderful concert in the small Flateyri church, followed by a visit to Iceland’s oldest bookstore, which has been run by the same family since its beginning. The other group went driving to Álftafjörður through the Súðavík village. In the valley at the bottom of the fjord, a number of waterfalls stream down the mountain, and today they were dealing with the elements. As we walked towards the Valagil gulley, we had the wind at our backs and could see how the occasional gusts grabbed the river water as it fell from the mountain’s edge and threw it back up again. The waterfalls looked like they were smoking, or like a fair lady’s hair blowing in the wind. We hiked until we were able to view the waterfall in the narrow gulley up close. In front of it, a carpet of bog bilberry plants spread out in striking autumn colors ranging from yellow to orange to dark peach. In the afternoon, the Ísafjörður Maritime Museum and local brewery opened their doors to us. Some of us walked through the charming old town center with its beautifully renovated small houses clad with wood or corrugated iron before strolling back through the harbor area of this important albeit remote Icelandic fishing town.
On a calm, tropical morning, National Geographic Orion anchored off the coast of Pulau Belitung, an island in the Java Sea off the east coast of Sumatra. By Zodiac, we landed at the beautiful beach of Tanjung Kelayang to a warm welcome with a dance performance by members of the local community. The beach is very photogenic with many colorful longboats anchored beside the white sand. Under cover and protected from the hot morning sun, we were entertained by the reenactment of a traditional Indonesian marriage ceremony, complete with the requisite gift giving and financial negotiations between the families before the union could be completed! Before heading back to the ship for lunch, guests enjoyed snorkeling around the spectacular granite boulders in the area, which is formally recognized as a UNESCO geopark.
