This is our first full day in the Galapagos Islands, and today we are going back in time, visiting the oldest island in the archipelago. Espanola Island is estimated to be 3.5 million years old, and is a wonderful example of the natural laboratory for evolution that exists here. Because of its age, this island and the creatures that inhabit it have had more time to evolve, and you can see it in the colorful species of marine iguana, the endemic lava lizard, and the endemic mockingbird. We started the day exploring the ocean with our first deep water snorkeling excursion, and then continued our adventure on land, visiting a beautiful white sand beach at Gardner Bay, where a sea lion colony lives. In the afternoon, we visited Punta Suarez for an amazing hike among nesting and flying albatross. Today has been magical and this is just the beginning!
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.
