Cerro Dragon, Borrero Bay, Daphne Major Islet, 12/1/2021, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
We arrived at Cerro Dragon on the northwestern realm of Santa Cruz Island last night. Today, we explored the coast of Borrero Bay by Zodiac and kayak. Later in the day, we scouted seabirds and enjoyed a gorgeous sunset while sailing around Daphne Major Islet.
Gilda was born in Ambato, located in the very heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. Since she was a child, she loved animals, often rescuing street cats and dogs. Her parents always made sure there were nature books and plenty of Jacques Cousteau’s videos a...
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Today we explored two small islands full of wildlife and radiant colors. In the morning, we explored North Seymour, a 0.73 sq mi island that hosts a colony of frigatebirds. As soon as we landed, we observed swallow-tailed gulls nesting. These photogenic birds are endemic to the Galapagos. They nest all year on the islands, so it’s quite common to find nests, chicks, and eggs along the rocky shores. We observed land iguanas, which are not native to North Seymour. They were introduced by an American captain named Allan Hancock in the 1930s. Although the island is dry, the iguanas survive and reproduce here today. It was a great day spent exploring the islands!
National Geographic Islander II anchored this morning at Chinese Hat Island, where at sunrise we went to enjoy kayaking and paddleboarding. Meanwhile, some guests chose to relax and stretch on the beautiful white sandy beach. Later, we went to explore the shoreline to look for penguins and to admire the amazing geological features of this area. In the afternoon, we visited the Sullivan Bay lava flow. Definitely an experience we could not skip while visiting Galapagos. It was a walk on a symphony of shapes of recent formations of lava flows on one of the islands where Charles Darwin spent the longest time during his journey back in 1835. This was an amazing day full of wildlife above and under water!
This was the last full day of a fantastic expedition. We visited Genovesa Island, a bird sanctuary located far north in the archipelago. It was a day filled with activities, hikes along Nazca, and red-footed boobies and great frigatebirds. We spotted short-eared owls as they hunted on the trail. Our last snorkeling opportunity featured large schools of parrotfish, wrasses, Moorish idols, and more! Kayaking in the protected waters of the caldera was a joy! With so many unique experiences and the opportunity to make such memories, this was indeed the trip of a lifetime!
