Sail through Scotland's Caledonian Canal and the Inner Hebrides aboard Lord of the Glens, the only ship capable of transiting both with ease and grace. The 62-mile Great Glen seems to have been created by uncorking bucolic landscapes and spilling them over the Atlantic and North Sea in a colossal rush of isles, lochs, and canals.
National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson shares some of his favorite highlights from traveling in Scotland aboard the intimate Lord of the Glens.
To the uninitiated, Scotland’s wildlife amounts to a whole lot of sheep, those shaggy Highland cows, and of course, Nessie! But there’s an abundance of other species if you know where to look.
There are a select few destinations with which you connect at some deep, intangible level and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland does that for me, says David Barnes, Expedition Leader aboard Lord of the Glens. See why.
Experience Scotland as few others have on a stirring voyage that cuts through the heart of the Highlands and out into the wild isles that surround this fabled region.
Today we visited the island of Santiago. In the morning, we explored Buccaneer Cove by kayak, snorkeling, and even by glass bottom boat. In the afternoon we visited Puerto Egas. The landscape was full of wildlife and amazing geological formations that offered great opportunities for photography, conversations, and creating wonderful memories with our dear guests.
Today was an opportunity to explore Stanley in a variety of ways. Some of us opted to participate in a 6-mile hike to Gypsy Cove. Despite the rain, the scenery was spectacular. Others opted for a tour of the highlights of Stanley which took them on an adventure around some of the popular attractions. After lunch there was an opportunity for more hikes and a visit to Fitzroy Farm to see a live sheep shearing demonstration. For those that wanted a more relaxing afternoon, they had the choice to explore Stanley at their own pace. The day came to a close with a special presentation by Mensun Bound who helped rediscover the original Endurance .
Our first day of activities on board National Geographic Orion was spent visiting the tropical volcanic island of Beqa. As we disembarked the Zodiacs into the village of Naceva, we were given an enthusiastic welcome by the local inhabitants, and we strolled through the town to explore and inspect handicrafts for sale. In the afternoon, we visited another location on the other side of the Island and after local cultural performances we had the chance to experience the renowned Fijian fire dance. Afterward, we enjoyed snorkeling among the vibrant coral reefs in the bay.
This is one of the islands with a wide variety of wildlife and geological scenery; part of the island is old, and the other half is relatively young. We visited early in the morning and enjoyed a beach stroll before breakfast to admire more of the Galapagos animals. Then we kayaked, went glass bottom boating, and snorkeled at the foot of a bay called Buccaneer Cove, where Darwin disembarked 200 years ago to study the Galapagos ecosystems. In the afternoon we visited Puerto Egas, a magical place full of iguanas, sea lions, sea birds, and land iguanas. There were also plenty of land birds, such as mockingbirds, finches, flycatchers, and more. We ended our day enjoying a BBQ dinner and a musical serenade from our naturalists to our happy guests. Dancing and singing were also part of our great journey exploring this enchanted archipelago.
Today, we visited one of the most dramatic landscapes in the Galapagos Islands. Roca Redonda Island is a paradise for seabirds. As the sun rose above the horizon, our guests were on deck watching the island come to life, with birds swarming around this tiny rock which is actually the tip of an active volcano that plunges over ten thousand feet to the seafloor. We continued navigating south, crossing the equator and celebrating with our guests onboard. Our journey then took us to Punta Vicente Roca on the southwest flank of Ecuador Volcano, just a few miles south of the equator. We explored by Zodiac and snorkeled with turtles, flightless cormorants, and Galapagos penguins—an unforgettable morning! In the afternoon, we repositioned National Geographic Islander II to Fernandina Island. Our visitor site, Punta Espinoza, is on the northeast side. We hiked across uneven, dark lava flows, seeing hundreds of marine iguanas basking on the shore while curious sea lion pups greeted us. Fernandina is the most recent island in the archipelago, and though it may look like a barren rock from a distance, its surrounding nutrient-rich ocean supports a thriving ecosystem.
