Expedition Stories

Our fleet navigates the world in search of adventure. These are the stories they bring back…

Previous Reports

Daily Expedition Reports

12/2/2010

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National Geographic Islander

From the National Geographic Islander in Galápagos

Southern Isabela Island What a wonderful day we had today! In the morning we woke up in Urbina Bay for our visit to the largest of all Galápagos Islands, Isabela. We were in the southwestern part of the archipelago, and we disembarked on a platform which had been underwater for many years. One day in the year 1954, a magmatic pressure uplifted this underwater realm to reveal an impressive ecology to the sun. Today we searched for land iguanas and coral heads. It sounds hard to believe but this is the only place to have such a duality. Today the sky was blue and the sun shone, and while walking along the coastline we felt a comforting breeze we took for granted. Then we started walking inland. We lost the breeze in certain places and felt hot and as we continued on the trail, we realized this is a very tough place to colonize, live, and to protect. Today we had a taste of what the National Park rangers do in order to protect such a wonderful place for humankind by patrolling and eradicating invasive species. We saw land iguanas, a giant tortoise, different lava formations and many species of plants and birds. At the end of the walk there was a reward waiting for us at the beach, a cool ocean to enjoy. It felt like heaven and some guests mentioned it was a highlight. Back aboard we had lunch and, soon after, an impressive presentation about the Amazon from our fellow visiting colleagues Luis Vela & Javier Arbildo a taste for our new Upper Amazon jungle operation in Iquitos – Peru; all these while our Captain repositioned the ship for our next site. On Punta Moreno, we saw an impressive array of lava formations of different kinds, colors and textures, some smooth like boulders and others sharp as a razor. We had a choice to ride along the coast or to go for a walk searching for flamingos. Isolation, silence, breeze, warmth and colors – all taken in. The seasons are changing. It is nearly time for rain, time for chlorophyll and all creatures which depend on it. Our cormorants, iguanas, sea lions, and seabirds are taking the last bite of this overwhelming feast which is coming to an end. We headed back to the ship as the sun set with a gradient of hues. The ocean calls us for a new adventure, the stars welcome the night. Tomorrow will be another impressive day in the “Enchanted Islands.”  

Daily Expedition Reports

1/5/2012

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National Geographic Endeavour

From the National Geographic Endeavour in Galapagos

Santa Cruz Island Today was a very special day, dedicated to those antediluvian-looking creatures, the Galápagos tortoises. Our first activity was to visit the breeding center at the Charles Darwin Research Station, which has been a great success since it was created 50 years ago. There is still much to accomplish, but our mission is to see them back in the wild like centuries ago. Lonesome George is the most famous reptile, not only in Galápagos but on the whole planet; this individual is the symbol for conservation. It is very clear that if we don’t make the right decisions now, some other species may go the same way, not only in Galápagos but other places as well. We also learned about Super Diego, the male individual that came back from San Diego Zoo in 1972; he joined his population at the breeding center with great success. Española tortoises were very close to extinction when the 14 left in the wild were bought to the breeding center. With the help of Super Diego we now have over 2000 tortoises on Española, breeding in the wild once again. For the afternoon we headed to the highlands for lunch at a local restaurant with a spectacular view. We also visited a sugar cane compress operated by a local family; here we learned the process of making brown sugar and sugar cane alcohol. In this way we are also supporting the local economy of the Galapagueños. For the afternoon we went to a private farm with giant tortoises everywhere; this farm was originally a chattel farm, but now is open for visitors to see the tortoises in the wild. Even though the land is private the giants belong to the Galápagos National Park, and the park rules are applied here as well. This visit was made with a bit of rain, making each tortoise carapace very shiny in contrast with the green vegetation.  

Daily Expedition Reports

1/30/2012

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National Geographic Endeavour

From the National Geographic Endeavour in Galápagos

Fernandina and Isabela Island This area receives a smaller percentage of visitors due to its remote location in the westernmost part of the archipelago. The only access to this area is by boats with enough fuel supply for a few days. This morning the National Geographic Endeavour took us to these marvelous places, full of peace and isolation. This experience gave us the impression of being the only ones in this enchanted archipelago. Fernandina is a pristine Island; most of its landscape is covered with fresh lava flows and small patches of vegetation. At first sight this place looks uninhabitable for any creature, but as soon as we disembarked we realized that our impression from the distance proved to be wrong. That was exactly what Charles Darwin thought at first glimpse. This territory is covered with the largest marine iguanas in the archipelago, the largest population of Galápagos penguins and the whole population of Galápagos flightless cormorants as well; the colonization is just taking place on this island. This morning we learned that the inhabitants of Galápagos are so unique because they were able to adapt to these harsh conditions at the beginning of the colonization process. We also went snorkeling here; the water was very refreshing and with lots of turtles, penguins, cormorants and many different species of fish. For the afternoon we had a different activity in a place known as Punta Vicente Roca on Isabela Island, where we boarded our Zodiacs to explore the coastline. This expedition was really a success because the water was crystal blue with lots of penguins, boobies, sea lions, terns, pelicans, golden rays and the odd-looking creature called the Pacific Ocean sunfish. We finished our perfect day on the outer decks of the National Geographic Endeavour crossing the equatorial line.  

Daily Expedition Reports

9/13/2012

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National Geographic Islander

From the National Geographic Islander in the Galapagos

Santiago Island Today we spent our entire day visiting the island of Santiago. A dramatic island of many colors and habitats, Santiago Island shows evidence of having had volcanic activity in its recent past as demonstrated by the long stretches of black basalt lava cliffs along the coast. Being the fourth largest of the Galápagos Islands, Santiago has a lush and green highland region and sources of fresh water inland, the reason why this island was used by some of the very first human (and some non-human) visitors to Galápagos. We started our morning by landing before breakfast at Espumilla Beach, one of the archipelago’s most important marine turtle nesting areas. Just while we were landing we spotted a group of blue footed boobies diving for fish like torpedoes entering the water, and on the mangroves we encounter four hawks, an adult and three young ones, that were calling each other back and forth. We stayed there for several minutes, delighted by the hawk’s behavior. One left a rodent he was eating to approach our video chronicler with a naïf curiosity that few animals show. Once everyone had enough pictures of the hawks we continue with the trail behind the mangroves, where a small brackish lagoon is hidden that occasionally has some lagoon birds such as black necked stilts and pintail ducks. This time the lagoon was totally dry but we saw hundreds of fiddler crabs and ghost crabs popping up from their holes. A loop trail took us inland over stony terrain and under very old button mangroves and Palo Santo trees (incense trees), to reach the top of the trail. From the top, we could see one of the few mature Palo Santo Forests left on the Island, after the eradication of goats, donkeys, and feral pigs, years ago. Once we returned to the ship and after breakfast, we spent our time exploring by Zodiac and doing a deep water snorkel at the historical and scenic Buccaneer Cove. This one-time pirate haunt was also the area where Charles Darwin landed for his longest stint on land in the Galápagos. In the afternoon, we navigated a short distance during lunch time to anchor at Puerto Egas, where we landed for a lovely walk of about 1.5 miles to an indented shoreline. The area had many coastal birds, and we saw many marine iguanas, female sea lions with their pups, adults males barking in the shoreline, and some Galápagos fur seals with their beautiful dense and shiny fur. Today we learned about the natural history of the island but also about some of the most successful conservation projects on the islands, the eradication of goats and pigs, thanks in big part to donations from our guests and the efforts of many entities on Galápagos.  

Daily Expedition Reports

12/9/2012

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National Geographic Endeavour

From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Galapagos

Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez, Espanola Island As the sun rose over the horizon at Gardner Bay, we began to see the white sandy beach in front of us. However it could be observed that several of the “rocks” on the beach moved, and also got into the water! Well those rocks were sea lions that covered part of the beach, and soon we were going to have a closer encounter with them. After we got all our snorkeling gear complete and ready to go, it was time to get into the Zodiacs and explore the neighborhood. Some decided to go to the deeper waters and encountered sharks and sea lions, others decided to go to the beach and start their discovery from the shore. The beach was covered with sea lions and all of them looked great, but we biased our preferences for the playful pups. They moved around us both in the water and on land. You basically never get tired of having one around you, their expressive eyes and clumsy movements caught our attention. Several had a real close encounter with the curious and playful pups, and I mean close, so close that the cameras could not focus on them, unless you go in the “macro” mode. Among the sea lions several mockingbirds moved, removing the sand to get some worms to eat. During the afternoon we had a long walk on Punta Suarez, and the expectations built up when we saw some waved albatrosses gliding around the area. After disembarking it was overwhelming, as there were so many things to begin with: several marine iguanas, among them some male iguanas with bright green and reddish colors, sea lions nursing by the trail, a Galapagos hawk that landed close to us, and a group of sea lion pups playing in a small tide pool - all this in the first hundred yards. The iconic blue-footed boobies were nesting a few feet away from the trail, and then as we continued our walk a strange creature with something that looked like a not well finished haircut, one of them had what looked like a 1980’s punk haircut; they were young waved albatross chicks, losing their down and getting the feathers they will need for that amazing moment when they take off for the first time from their homeland, Espanola Island. As expected before this flight occurs there is the need to practice and build up those muscles, so some of the young albatrosses performed their exercise routine in front of us. Of course each one had its own “hairstyle” flapping those wings and getting strength for those long days out in the sea, before the return to their homeland in a few years. To give this day even more endless memories, a hawk perched on the rock close to our trail during the walk back to the landing site. For some seconds the clouds on the horizon opened and the sun rays gave a golden color to the clouds behind the hawk. Instead of shooting another picture I moved my camera down and stopped looking through a viewfinder. It was the time to just enjoy the view.  

Daily Expedition Reports

12/25/2012

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National Geographic Islander

From the National Geographic Islander in Galápagos

Floreana Island Floreana, also known as Charles or Santa Maria, is a peaceful island with numerous extinct volcanic cones and fantastic landscapes. It was the first island officially colonized by Ecuadorians and a favourite one for pirates and whalers. It’s colourful and bizarre human history goes back almost two centuries: from marooned whalers to prisoners and colonists, and from a toothless dentist to a self-proclaimed following. Our Christmas morning started with an optional early morning wet landing at a site named Punta Cormorant. The first thing our visitors noticed was the green colour of the sand, due to the presence of olivine crystals (commercially known as “peridot”) and the peculiar vegetation, with some endemic and native plants, such as the incense tree (Palo Santo). The trail went along a large salt pond where we were looking for flamingos and other shore birds before arriving at a second beautiful beach. This one had incredibly fine, white, coralline sand where we were surprised by the presence of few female Pacific green sea turtles out of the water, one of which was probably a young and inexpert female working hard to find its way back to the ocean. After hundreds of pictures of the turtle reaching the ocean and some sting rays in the water, we went back aboard for breakfast, and the ship repositioned to a small offshore volcanic cone named Champion Islet. Here we went for a Zodiac ride in the search of the remnant population of the Floreana mockingbird (driven to near extinction by cats, rats and other introduced predators on the main island), among many other birds, such as Galápagos shearwaters, brown noody terns, swallowed tailed gulls, blue and Nazca boobies and the always beautiful red billed tropic bird. The islet’s rocky shores are home to many Galápagos sea lions, and today we saw many young pups in the shore. Later on, it was time to explore the underwater world, full of colourful fish species, sea stars, invertebrates and, of course, the always playful sea lions that were the stars of the morning. Following lunch, the ship was repositioned once again, this time to Post Office Bay, were we spent the afternoon enjoying the beach and kayaking along the bay before visiting the famous Post Office barrel, the first Post office of the entire South Pacific. Going back to whaling days, this barrel was first mentioned in 1793 by British captain James Colnett and since then it has been used as an old mail swap tradition. Following this tradition, our guests collected some letters with the aim of hand delivering them and left their own letters with the hope that somebody, one day, will also hand deliver it as future visitors! To end this very special day, we went for Zodiac ride along the bay of Post Office, where we were delighted to see our first Galápagos penguins and one of the most beautiful sunsets!

Daily Expedition Reports

3/16/2011

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National Geographic Endeavour

From the National Geographic Endeavour in Galápagos

Santiago Island This morning, after an early rise, we landed on a chocolate-brown beach, called Espumilla, at 6.30am. The scene was straight out of a movie. The lush vegetation provided ample shade for the many sea turtle nests, and fresh tracks made last night were seen in several places. We had an overcast sky with some light rain now and then, but nothing that wouldn’t pass. The air felt green and fresh, and the trail went up through dense vegetation dominated by large incense trees, evergreen shrubs like pearlberry and glorybower, and dense patches of grasses, sedges and herbs. Some maidenhair ferns were growing on the cinder rocks lining the trail. A bit higher we could see the saline ponds just above the tree line on the beach. Later our path was crossed by a dried-up riverbed, created by flash streams from torrential rainfalls during the many ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) events here in the Galápagos. Back on board, after breakfast and a break, we headed out for several options, like kayaking, snorkeling or cruising in a glass-bottom boat, all this along the dramatic cliffs of Buccaneers Cove. After lunch, a siesta, and a presentation about the human history of the Galápagos, we had the last outing of this day in Puerto Egas, a scenic bay where the tuff cliffs could have been dreamed up by the painter Salvador Dali. This trail winds along a mesmerizing coast of grottos of bulbous lava flows, breaking up through a layer cake of tuff and interrupted by beaches of very mixed compositions. Imagine all this littered with sea lions, fur seals, shore birds and marina iguanas and you are almost there, but not yet quite – on the horizon you’ll see huge shield volcanoes, cinder cones and the ever-changing, ever-hypnotizing Pacific Ocean. It is this kind of scenery that will stay with you forever. Some of the Galápagos hawks we spotted earlier on flew silently back into the hills, and on the landing beach we got to see spotted eagle rays trying to mate in the shallows. It was almost too much for one day.  

Daily Expedition Reports

1/24/2012

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National Geographic Endeavour

From the National Geographic Endeavour in Galápagos

Santa Cruz Island Today we visited Santa Cruz, the second largest island of the Galápagos. Here we paid a visit to Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galápagos National Park Service. These institutions are the leaders in conservation in the Galápagos Islands. In the morning we visited the giant tortoises at the research station. These giant reptiles are part of a breeding program. This has been happening since the early 1970s because the tortoise populations were seriously depleted and threatened with extinction. The goal of the program is to restore these small populations. So far the breeding programs have succeeded, and entire populations of tortoise and land iguanas have been restored. The main settlement on Santa Cruz is Puerto Ayora. This town is home for most of the human population of the Galápagos Islands. It is a little vibrant place right on the sea. It is also the economic capital of the archipelago, and harbors most of the tourist businesses in the region. The rest of the day was spent in the highlands; this cool green forest is home to Darwin’s finches and giant tortoises in the wild. Tortoises are forest dwellers on these islands and they can be found in large numbers in the national park as well as farming zones. In the highlands, grass and water are plentiful; these resources are the reason why tortoises are plentiful here. During the time we were exploring the island we were delighted by the forest made up of big trees with low grass beneath and tortoises grazing and wallowing in the rain ponds. It was like a dream walking among these slow-moving creatures.  

Daily Expedition Reports

3/19/2012

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National Geographic Endeavour

From the National Geographic Endeavour in Galápagos

Floreana Island As the sun began to rise over the horizon we could start to see the impressive landscape around us; to the east a group of lava rocks spread over the ocean. The name for this place is almost out of the pages of a mystery novel – Devil’s Crown. As we prepared for an early-morning walk on Floreana Island some marine turtles surfaced occasionally around the National Geographic Endeavour. The ocean was calm; few waves and a light breeze made the conditions ideal. After landing on Floreana Island we found two flamingos in a lagoon. The hike took us to a beach with the finest white sand, and as we walked on this beach a yellow-crowned night heron was standing on the sand, probably looking for something to eat. As we approached it, it did not move away from us, just stayed motionless. Snorkeling around the waters of Champion Islet was beyond expectations; different tropical marine fish gathered in schools below us: king angelfish, parrotfish, spotted eagle rays, and many others. This sent some of our explorers straight into the library to find out the names of the new fishes to add to the identification list. Some were very confusing as they change colors as they get older and bigger, but with dedication and patience it was possible to discover all their names. The afternoon had more surprises waiting for us. First it was a visit to the barrel in Post Office Bay, to pick up some mail and leave postcards that should be hand-delivered to their final destinations, in a similar way as a few centuries ago, when there were no e-mails or internet and the only way to get a letter home was to leave it in this place and wait for some sailor going to the same location and expect that he would deliver the letters. Later on this same beach we had some moments that will be remembered forever. Several spotted eagle rays were mating, and we could see their wings getting off the water; then a school of these amazing fish swam in front of us – as in a well-choreographed parade – while we stood in knee-deep water. To finish this day with even more emotions, several juvenile black-tip sharks were swimming along the beach, and some of the young explorers in the group overcame their apprehensions and decided to get a little wet. As they moved in the water and could observe the little sharks swim by, most of their fears disappeared. Just like the first day at school, it is only a matter of time to adapt to the new friends and start to know your neighbors. As we left the island the sun started to set behind the clouds, and marine turtles periodically emerged at the surface to take a little gulp of air.  

Daily Expedition Reports

11/23/2012

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National Geographic Endeavour

From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Galapagos

San CristobaI Island. At the northeastern tip of San Cristobal Island lies Punta Pitt. The landscapes in this place are spectacular. Through hundreds of years, erosion has modified two huge tuff cones, and what is left of them stands tall near a small, greenish beach. The trail behind it takes us along a canyon, and we ascend until we reach a ledge from where we can enjoy the panorama of the area. Punta Pitt is known mostly for being the home to a colony of red-footed boobies, and today we were lucky to see several of them courting and calling each other so it was clear that the new breeding season has started! The local vegetation is rather dry, but still they provide food for some endemic birds like the Darwin finches. A couple of juvenile San Cristobal mockingbirds approached us for an unofficial “inspection”; they seemed to be learning to find food and water for themselves and were quite inquisitive. As the ground warmed up we could find more and more endemic lava lizards, some of which started looking for a meal or doing their ‘push-ups,’ a territorial display to keep other lizards away from their little realms. Back in the landing beach, the day became brighter which was perfect to relax or to enjoy the ocean for a while. In the afternoon our ship dropped anchor at Kicker Rock, an outcrop of rock off the western coast of San Cristobal Island. This is to be our last snorkeling site of the week, and an excellent one too! Although the visibility was variable, many of our fearless snorkelers were able to spot Galapagos and black-tipped reef sharks, spotted eagle rays and Pacific green sea turtles. The walls are covered in marine invertebrates, like barnacles, sponges, corals and sea anemones. Due to the amazing marine conditions and abundance of food, Kicker Rock is the perfect base for various marine bird species; Nazca and blue-footed boobies inhabit it as well as the magnificent frigate bird. The marine mammals are represented by the Galapagos sea lion; it was fun to watch them sleeping on narrow ledges in the vertical walls of Kicker Rock. All this could be observed as we circumnavigated it on board the National Geographic Endeavour. With a drink in hand and a toast, this was the perfect way to end a perfect expedition in the Galapagos Islands… Salud!  

Daily Expedition Reports

12/12/2012

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National Geographic Endeavour

From the National Geographic Endeavour in the Galapagos

Santa Cruz Island (Dragon Hill & Eden) We arrived at the uninhabited side of Santa Cruz and began our expedition with a dry landing in a search for the land iguanas of this archipelago. As we explored the area a brackish water lagoon was found with some flamingos in it. These pink birds in the middle of a barren rusty terrain were just breathtaking to spot. We entered the incense tree forest and were accompanied by the singing of some ground finches and Galapagos flycatchers. Soon we got to the nesting ground of these yellow dragons of the Galapagos, where we saw about some individuals shading under the prickly pear cacti. The morning was heating up as the strong equatorial sun was rising higher above us. It was a great time to get in the water and enjoy some refreshing and wonderful snorkeling around Guy Fawkes Islets (satellite islets of Santa Cruz). Eagle rays and marbled rays were seen during the snorkeling outing, as well as some tropical fish and sea lions playing with our guests in the water, inviting them to stay in their blue ocean for a joyful time between sea lions and humans. During the afternoon we took Zodiac rides along Eden Islet, where shore birds were seen, some of them resting on the tuff cones, showing their blue feet in the case of the blue footed boobies or nesting on the bushes like a couple of great blue herons we spotted. Pacific green sea turtles were swimming around the inlets surrounded by mangroves, providing a great nursery for juvenile of marine life in the area. Later on we enjoyed a wonderful navigation around Daphne Major Islet with a nice glass of champagne in hand. We learned a lot about the study of Darwin finches, nowadays being done by a couple of British scientists on this islet.

Daily Expedition Reports

1/4/2013

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National Geographic Islander

From the National Geographic Islander in Galapagos

Santa Cruz Island We wake up in Academy Bay where the largest town of the Galapagos Islands, Puerto Ayora, is located, with a population of 17.000 people. Departing early in the morning we head to visit the Darwin Foundation and National Park breeding program of Galapagos giant tortoises. There we have the chance to see them from when they come out of the egg until they grow enough to be taken back to their original island and recolonize it. Close by is the town where there is the possibility to visit its people and observe their daily life until the time comes to visit the highlands of Santa Cruz, the Trapiche, where we were able to see the artisan production of sugarcane and coffee. Lunch time is there and we reach El Chato area, which is the reserve for giant tortoises in the wild. There we enjoyed a delicious local meal with a panoramic view of the west side of the island. After that we get to the area where we spot several giant tortoises and went for a walk around their natural environment on this island. Before leaving this place we had the chance to actually get under the earth inside a lava tunnel, which gave us a new perspective of the island formation. After visiting this island we head back to the National Geographic Islander , on which we were able to enjoy unique music and artistic dances from local Galapagenians with a mix of Andean music. A good way to experience the creativity of locals.

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