Day 1 - Guayaquil
Day 2 - Embarkation
Day 3 - N. Seymour/Rabida
Day 4 - Fernandina/Isabela
Day 5 - Isabela
Day 6 - Santiago
Day 7 - Santa Cruz
Day 8 - San Cristobal
Day 9 - San Cristobal
Day 10 - Return
Galapagos
Been thinking about going to the Galapagos for far too long. Finally decided to go after all these years... and turns out, if anything, it's been under-sold just how amazing it is there. As said, "animals are amazing" ... which is perhaps the understatement of the century.
Day 1 - long day due to some horrible flight times from the USA to Panama to Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Day 2 - Guayaquil to Baltra in the Galagapos, where sea lions and blue-footed boobies greet you at the dock, then off to nearby Santa Cruz Island where the animal sightings truly begin.
Day 3 - Seymour Norte (North Seymour Island) aka "bird island" to some of the naturalists, including the spectacular magnificent frigatebird, plus a first-hand introduction to just how playful sea lions are during snorkeling. The afternoon at Rabida Island for flamingos and the sunset.
Day 4 - Isla Fernandina's start attraction was a mess of iguanas, sea turtles all over the place during snorkeling, and then Isla Isabela for fur seals and flightless cormorants.
Day 5 - giant tortoises and land iguanas, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking, topped off with a zodiac cruise that featured penguins, flocks of brown noddy terns, and a humpback whale mother and calf as the sun set.
Day 6 - off to the next island, Isla Santiago, for an early morning photography walk complete with beautiful rainbow and an unusually patient Galapagos hawk, more up-close encounters with sea lions and sea turtles, and an incredible number of fish in the water.
Day 7 - back to Isla Santa Cruz for the Charles Darwin Research Station and the giant tortoises, some time in town, and a local farm with sugar cane, chilies, coffee, and moonshine.
Day 8 - hiking Isla San Cristobal for red-footed boobies, a final long walk along the beach for hermit crabs, birds, and of course, more sea lions, and a sunset cruise around Kicker Rock.
Day 9 - disembarking on San Cristobal after breakfast, a few more sea lions, and then back to the mainland and farewell to the National Geographic Endeavour II and her amazing crew.
Day 10 - yet another hideously early set of flights back home.