We started our day with a nice and calm pre-breakfast walk along Espumilla Beach. After breakfast, we had the option of snorkeling, kayaking, or cruising in a glass-bottom boat. In each of those activities, wildlife surrounded us. For lunch, the galley staff of the National Geographic Endeavour II surprised us with a traditional Ecuadorian feast. The crew wore traditional Panama hats and hand-painted t-shirts, and we all enjoyed the colorful and tasty event, which was followed by an amazing natural history walk along Puerto Egas in the afternoon. It was a full day of activities, but the surprises were not over. Our busy galley team organized a BBQ dinner on the sky deck. What a treat to dine under a sky full of stars!
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.