We are halfway through our expedition on National Geographic Endeavour II, and it has been an incredible experience so far. Today we anchored in a place call Punta Cormorant. We started the day with an early wet landing on a green sand beach. The beach has this coloration due to pieces of a mineral named olivine. This mineral is the primary component of the Earth’s upper mantle. As we explored the island, we found blue-footed boobies on the cliffs and flamingos eating in the lagoon. We had the chance to see dolphins later in the morning, and we enjoyed a great kayaking in Baroness Bay with many turtles.
2/25/2025
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Isabela Island
Today we had a day full of wildlife encounters on Isabela Island. We started early in the morning exploring the coastline of Urbina Bay at the bottom of the slopes of Alcedo Volcano. During this spectacular hike, our guests had their first encounter with giant tortoises in the wild. Unlike on the island of Santa Cruz where we see tortoises while visiting private farms, the giant tortoises of this visitor site had made a long journey all the way down from the volcano, far from any human settlement, to lay their eggs and feed on the lush vegetation. In the afternoon, some of our guests went for a Zodiac ride along the coast of Tagus Cove, a tuff volcanic formation that is home to several species of seabirds. Blue-footed boobies and Galapagos penguins were the main attractions of this exploration. After a successful Zodiac ride before sunset, our Zodiac driver, José, spotted a feeding frenzy. Many blue-footed boobies and brown noddies put on a show for us to close a wonderful day exploring Isabela Island.
