National Geographic Endeavour II arrived at Puerto Ayora — one of the most important sites of our expedition. Today we experienced culture and nature at the same time. We visited the Charles Darwin Foundation, where we learned about different conservation projects being run on the island. Then we had several options available for the next portion of our day. Some of our guests visited the Tomas de Berlanga School, where bilingual students guided them around. Other guests visited the Rancho Ochoa; here we learned how to produce lettuce by hydroponic techniques, saving a lot of water and providing high-quality vegetables for our tables. Finally, some guests visited the Trapiche, a farm where the owners demonstrated the traditional way to make sugar, coffee, chocolate, and moonshine! What a fun day we had! We cannot wait to keep exploring this paradise.
10/4/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Genovesa Island
With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the front balcony of the lounge to see what was going on. We had just entered Darwin’s Bay, dropped anchor, and the juvenile red-footed boobies had found the ship and were flying around us on an inspection tour. The rest of the day continued with discoveries of all kinds. An early morning inversion layer (locally known as “garúa”) had fallen and dampened the environment with much desired drops of fresh water, although the chicks of various species didn’t appear terribly pleased in having wet feathers. On our return, the same bedraggled individuals looked smooth, sleek and dry once the sun had come out. The Galapagos National Park has only two sites for visitors, both spectacular, both well worth a slow walk among the palo santo trees to see the great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, Darwin’s finches, short-eared owls, and storm petrels. Snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the base of the cliffs of Darwin’s Bay followed. There’s nothing quite like this island anywhere in the world.