Genovesa Island
Our last full day in Galápagos…and a great day on “Birds Island” aka Genovesa. Early in the morning there were some red-footed boobies sitting at the stern of the ship, as if waiting for our guests to disembark. On land, some groups went to the beautiful white coral beach, while others went to the famous Prince Philip Steps, where his royal highness once stepped and climbed, with a stiff upper lip, the 90 rocky natural steps. Today, frigatebirds were celebrating the beginning of the breeding season; many males had their red neck pouches fully inflated like birthday balloons.
This Island has the largest population of red-footed boobies in the world. The Nazca boobies nest here as well, and guests walking along the cliff and lava flows had the opportunity to see a short-eared owl catching and eating a storm petrel. Way better than a lion kill! Seeing the famous short-eared owls was a highlight for the entire week, since these birds are totally camouflaged both in color and shape (even with their ears).
This was followed by spectacular snorkeling on the opposite side of the caldera; the water was warm enough to drop the wetsuit! A thousand fish met us with smiles on their faces.
After a great lunch, with melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookies for desert, we swapped groups, so everyone had the chance to see everything. The red mangroves were filled with red-footed nests, both juveniles and adults exposing blue and pink and red colors like super stars. These trees are known to be the preferred nesting places for the red-footed boobies’ huge colony. Swallow-tailed gulls, Nazca boobies, and yellow-crowned night herons also shared this area.
There is no better place than Genovesa Island to finish our expedition in paradise!
