Today was all about giant tortoises. Morning and afternoon, we focused on this iconic Galapagos reptile species. The Galapagos National Park just recently inaugurated the “Ruta de la Tortuga”, or the “Path of the Tortoise” to take visitors along towards the real, living individuals they have in captivity in order to breed and repatriate the offspring. The trail led us through a forest of giant prickly pear cacti, the only variation in the world to grow to the height of a tree, as well as candelabra cacti, which is an endemic genus. Numerous other endemic plants lined the path, and a variety of creatures such as Santa Cruz lava lizards, Darwin’s finches, Galapagos mockingbirds, flycatchers. In the afternoon, the giants were seen wandering in lush green grass…tortoises all day!
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.
