To awaken in the western realm of the Galapagos is to be transported back to a time when the land was newly formed and fresh for exploration. We start our day at the base of Alcedo Volcano, where we walk upon an area uplifted from the ocean in the 1950s. Giant tortoises, land iguanas, and numerous Darwin finches are encountered as we explore. Navigating to Tagus cove in the afternoon, we walk in Darwin’s footsteps. Surrounded by Galapagos penguins and green sea turtles as we swim, we are accepted as part of this environment. As the sun changes its luminosity in the late afternoon, we witness the Galapagos penguins returning to shore to bathe in the late light of our setting sun.
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.