Today we woke up anchored in Academy Bay at the island of Santa Cruz, which is the second biggest island of the archipelago; we started our day going to the giant tortoise breeding center, Fausto LLerena. There we learned about all the different projects that are being conducted by the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station to preserve this unique ecosystem. After this, a group of our guests, went to the Tomas de Berlanga School to learn a little bit more about how education works in the island, and another group went to a sugar cane farm called El Traphiche. After the visits, we had an amazing lunch up in the highlands at Aquelarre Restaurant, followed by the last expedition of the day, observing the tortoises in their natural environment on a private ranch known as El Chato.
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.
