Index
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
Isla Fernandina for the morning landing. A literal mess of marine iguanas dominated the little stretch of volcanic rocks that tourists were confined to-- so many it's hard to do it justice in pictures. Between the mess of iguanas and the volcano at the center of the island, the true scale of the Galapagos really began to sink in.
More very playful sea lions in the water below the rocks, a few mothers and pups, at least one very vocal alpha male, and for good measure, large sea turtle added to the highlights. Add in an unusual-for-this-time-of-year sighting of an American Oystercatcher on the rocks, too. Snorkeling after the morning hike brought tons of fish, marine iguanas, and some up-close-and-personal encounters with the sea turtles, including one who popped up less than a dozen feet from me as I was looking the other direction (!).
Sailed around the northern coast of Isla Isabela to the collapsed caldera at the northwestern tip of the island. Having been previously disappointed by similar cruises in the Faroe Islands, I had modest expectations. Instead, like the rest of the passengers, the sheer amount of wildlife was riveting: lava gulls, Nazca boobies, and sea lions right off the bat, with hundreds of sea turtles seemingly just under the hulls of the zodiacs. Fur seals looked like stately kings and queens of the rocks above the ocean, while flightless cormorants dried their wings closer to the waters' edge.
Back on board the National Geographic Endeavour II, a pirate-themed crossing-the-equator ceremony/wine tasting was held on the top deck before dinner, although we'd technically crossed the equator twice earlier during the night.