Today we visited Santiago Island, in the central part of the Galápagos Archipelago. This island was a favorite hideout for pirates and buccaneers in the past; here, they discovered great anchorages, fresh water, firewood and abundant tortoises to eat. Brief spells of human colonization occured during the 20th century, but today the entire island is part of the protected areas of the Galápagos National Park. In the morning, we anchored at Buccaneer Cove where we visited the trail of Espumilla Beach. In the afternoon we continued to James Bay, where we were able to explore Puerto Egas and its stunning coastline.
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.
