Española Island, 2/20/2022, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Today we woke up in Gardner Bay on Española Island. After a delicious breakfast, some guests disembarked for a deep-water snorkeling experience along the shore of Gardner Islet. Other guests visited Gardner Beach. We observed many charismatic Galapagos sea lions basking on the white sand. We also spotted the hood mockingbird, one of the four species of mockingbirds found on the Galapagos Islands.
During lunch, Captain Eduardo Neira navigated toward Suarez Point, where we disembarked for a hike along the shore. Here we observed one of the most iconic animals of the Galapagos, the marine iguana. We also had the chance to see one of the largest colonies of Nazca boobies. We ended the day with our traditional recapitulation in the lounge of National Geographic Endeavour II.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
Guests onboard National Geographic Endeavour II spent the day exploring Santiago Island. We disembarked for an early morning photo walk at Espumilla Beach, and guests enjoyed picture-perfect lighting. We observed sea turtle activity, including tracks and nests. Blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans were busy diving along the shoreline. Many guests opted to go on a photo walk, where a certified photo instructor gave tips to photographers. After our walk, we returned to the ship for breakfast. Guests had the opportunity to participate in a variety of excursions after breakfast, including kayaking, paddleboarding, glass-bottom boating, and snorkeling. All activities took place at Buccaneer’s Cove, a sheltered area with a wide variety of wildlife. This site is a wonderful place to see tropical fish species, rays, and sharks. Guests returned to the ship for a riveting lecture on the interesting life of Charles Darwin. Darwin spent most of his time in the Galapagos on Santiago Island. After lunch, we disembarked at Puerto Egas. Guests had the option to go on a natural history walk or enjoy snorkeling from the beach. Lindblad adopted Santiago Island in 2006 to help preserve the island’s precious wildlife. Efforts were made to eradicate the invasive species that decimated the populations of giant tortoises and land iguanas. Today, the national park has repatriated many Galapagos land iguanas to the island. We hope to see them breeding and nesting in the near future. Puerto Egas is home to the Galapagos fur seal as well. We often see fur seals swimming through a system of grottos. There are no true seals in the Galapagos Islands. However, the Galapagos fur seal has an extra layer of fur coveted by sealers passing through the island in the 19th century. The ancestral species of the Galapagos fur seal comes from the south, whereas the ancestral species of the Galapagos sea lion hails from the north. Photo Caption: A Galapagos sea lion nurses on the sand at Puerto Egas. The Galapagos sea lion is endemic to the archipelago, having speciated from the California sea lion less than one million years ago. They are a fan favorite for guests and locals alike in the Galapagos. Photo by Alexandra Widman
We continued our journey along Isabela’s coastline. On our fourth day, we visited two unique sites located at the slopes of some active volcanoes. After dinner, National Geographic Endeavour II anchored in Urbina Bay. In the morning, we went for a short walk along the uplifted coastline of the Alcedo Volcano. It didn’t take long until we were greeted by the iconic Galapagos giant tortoise. These dome-shelled tortoises are only found around this volcano. We also spotted beautiful land iguanas for the second time. After an hour and a half of navigation this afternoon, we anchored at the famous Tagus Cove, a popular landing spot in the past for sailors and navy ships from many countries. As we looked outside the ship, we noticed tall tuff walls from two majestic cones, the same ones that Charles Darwin explored during his visits onboard HMS Beagle. Finally, we concluded a very full and active day with water activities: kayaking, snorkeling, and a strenuous hike over the tuff cones along Darwin’s Lake.
This morning, we went exploring on Fernandina Island, the youngest island in the archipelago and one of the most active islands in the Galapagos. The morning was spectacular! We enjoyed walking alongside big herds of Galapagos marine iguanas, flightless cormorants, playful sea lions, Fernandina’s endemic snake, and much more! After a delicious lunch and some time to rest, we went exploring again. This time we explored the coastline of Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island. Our first Galapagos penguin posed for pictures, and sea turtles popped their heads up to breathe several times. Blue-footed boobies and brown noddies were also part of the show. We finished our day by crossing the equator with a fun winetasting organized by our expedition leader and crewmembers.
