It is definitely the rainy season in the Enchanted Isles, and Floreana looks emerald green from the distance. This is the mystery island, where humans attempted to settle down, but many did not succeed and either left or disappeared. There are beautiful landscapes all around us, and the wildlife is stunning. Behind the landing beach at Punta Cormorant lies a brackish lagoon that is the home to dozens of flamingos, a resident species. Along its shorelines, we encountered Galapagos sea lions, blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas. The dry forest that covers the island is now in full foliage and with such an abundance, many land birds like Darwin finches and Galapagos flycatchers are able to breed this time of the year. At Post Office Bay in the north of the island, we learned about an old mailing system that continues to this day, thanks to the many visitors to this place.
5/29/2025
Read
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.
