Today, after a nice and smooth navigation, we arrived to the northern part of the archipelago. Genovesa Island is definitely one of the jewels of the crown. We have come all the way here to admire the beautiful red-footed boobies. We started our morning hiking on the island, admiring the red-footed boobies, the frigate birds with the inflated pouches, Nazca boobies, short eared owls, different species of finches, and much more. After the hike we came back on board to get ready for our water activities, where our guests had the opportunity to either snorkel or kayak. It was fun!
We enjoyed a delicious Galapagos lunch before heading back to Genovesa to continue our explorations.
On our first full day exploring the Enchanted Isles, our beautiful ship took us to Española, or Hood Island. Located in the southeastern extreme of the archipelago, this is one of the oldest and most amazing islands. Here, critters have had a longer span of time to evolve into new forms from their ancestors, having established themselves in the area thousands of years ago.
We arrived this morning to the northernmost anchorage of Santa Cruz Island, where Itabaca Chanel is located. We disembarked and started our excursion to the highlands, driving through different vegetation zones of Galapagos. Starting out in the arid zone, going through the transition area, and finally arriving in the humid zone. Our first destination was The Twins, two sink holes along the road, surrounded by a lush forest of Scalessia pedunculata or daisy trees. We also spotted other endemic species, including the Indefatigable passion fruit.
Then we visited the Manzanillo ranch to look for Giant Tortoises that were active in their environment, some of them feeding, resting, etc. We saw juveniles and adults walking around, and most of them were enjoining the fresh water of a pond of the farm while our guests learnt their natural history and experienced a special moment with this emblematic creature.
After the walk we had a delicious local lunch followed by Galapagos coffee and the moonshine produced in this farm. Back onboard there was a presentation about Geology of Galapagos which helped to understand many facts of the evolution of these islands.
In the late afternoon we navigated to Bowditch, a beautiful white sand beach that is also a nesting area for sea turtles. They shared this gorgeous landscape with shore birds such as he black-neck stilt, lava gulls, brown pelicans, and blue-footed boobies. It was also a calm place for swimming for watching the sunset.
In the lounge, over sushi, the underwater specialist presented a video of the week’s underwater wonders during this amazing trip.
The morning started off misty as our early risers prepared to kayak at first light. The sun soon rose, providing the perfect set up for a walk on beautiful, green sand beach at Espumilla.
After breakfast, we dropped anchor at Buccaneers Cove where crystal clear water and clear skies welcomed our snorkelers on one of the best outings of the week. Sea turtles, rays, eels, and white-tipped sharks were some highlights.
In the afternoon we moved to Egas Port, one of the most famous sites on this island. We disembarked on the black sand beach for a refreshing swim and snorkel. We then walked on the shoreline, which was covered by old lava flow that formed tide pools all along the trail.
Further along, we spotted a Santiago snake and a land iguana basking in the sun. We steered clear of the Galapagos scorpion hiding by the rocks on the way back to the ship. Our parting image was an American oystercatcher nesting right on the trail by the shore.
