Our first journey into the Galapagos National Park brought us to Española Island, one of the oldest islands in the archipelago with an incredible diversity of life. Turquoise waters surround the small satellite islands of Española, and we explored a fine coralline sand beach with resident Galapagos sea lions and Española mockingbirds flitting about. While snorkeling, we caught glimpses of Pacific green sea turtles, diamond stingrays, and young Galapagos sea lion pups. It was a great view of the undersea world. During the afternoon, we made a short navigation and arrived at Suarez Point. While hiking, we got close to waved albatrosses, a majestic species that is only found on this island. Numerous albatrosses were seen floating offshore while Nazca boobies lined the southern cliffs of Española. Marine iguanas returned from foraging in the sea, and young sea lions played in the shallows as they awaited the return of their mothers. The sun dipped below the horizon as the last birds returned to their roosts on the coast.
10/3/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Bartholomew Island and Sombrero Chino
We split into groups for different excursions this morning. Four groups went up the staircase to the top for the iconic view over the isthmus of Bartholomew Island and Pinnacle Rock. We walked past exposed volcanic formations of all sorts: spatter cones, tuff cones, and lava tubes. Two other groups chose to explore along the coast by Zodiac in hopes of Galapagos penguin sightings. All of us were successful in what we hoped for and even the walkers saw penguins near the dock where we disembarked! Both snorkeling off the beach and deep-water outings along the backside of the island were tremendously productive because we saw it all: penguins and sharks being the top species, and diving blue-footed boobies too! The afternoon had National Geographic Endeavour II anchored not too far south, off the coast of Santiago Island near Sombrero Chino. A dramatically barren, small volcanic cone where another snorkeling outing was offered and late-afternoon Zodiac rides to search yet one more time for penguins. We can never get enough of them!