Frontiers Note: Henrietta Strutt is from the Frontiers UK office. She shares her spectacular experience during a recent trip to the Galápagos Islands. This is part three in the series.
We sailed overnight and crossed the equator twice during the night. I woke up excited for our second full day on board the National Geographic Endeavour II.
Every morning coffee, fruit and snacks are available in the lounge from 6:00 a.m. for the very early risers. Lara went up on deck to join the early morning stretch class which she did most mornings. Breakfast was served today from 6:30 a.m. Breakfast is buffet style with something for everyone to enjoy. I was a big fan of the porridge, scrambled eggs and deliciously crispy bacon.
Today we started disembarking the boat at 7:30 a.m. by Zodiac (dry landing – not getting out of the boat into water) to begin our visit to Fernandina (the island where the famous iguana/racer snake scene from Planet Earth II was filmed), landing at Punta Espinoza for a long hike on a lava flow and then a wildlife walk along the beach. For guests that did not feel up to the hike on the lava they disembarked a little later and just did the wildlife walk. Even by 7:30 a.m. the temperature was intense and walking on black lava made it feel even hotter. Getting onto the island was unique. There was a little jetty hidden by mangrove trees and you then had to step over and round a large number of marine iguanas (of Planet Earth II fame) basking in the sun. The larger are about thirty inches long and eat algae under the water. They were not afraid of us and did not move out of the way. Some were difficult to see as they are black on black lava. Treading carefully was the order of the day. There was a strong smell of iguana excrement!
Lara and I were with naturalist Gaby for this outing. You had to be very carefull on the uneven lava and watch your step as there were some large, deep and wide cracks. Not much can live on the lava as you would imagine but there were a few pools with fish. The lava we were walking on is known as “ropy” lava as it looked like lots of rows of rope together. The walk came to a natural end as suddenly the lava went from being relatively flat to walk on to jagged and impossible to navigate. When walking on the sand, you had to walk as close to the water’s edge because the marine iguanas lay their eggs in the sand and we could have damaged them by walking over their nests. There were some very noisy sea lions showing off in the water but they can also move pretty quickly on land. We could see turtles and marine iguanas in the water. Also on the beach and lava were flightless cormorants that are only found in the Galápagos. Over time they have lost the use of their wings but they still have little ones that are completely useless. They are now perfectly adapted to the water and diving with their big feet pushing them down to feed. There were large groups of iguanas basking before getting in the sea to swim out to feed.
At 10:30 a.m., we made our way back to the jetty to board our Zodiac for the short trip back to the ship. A quick change into our swimmers for a well earned and cooling dip in the sea from the stern. It was surprising how strong the current was and it made it difficult to get back to the boat but the water felt great after the morning’s activities.
At 11:30 a.m., we gathered in the lounge for a talk from naturalist and underwater specialist Jason. He talked to us about the oceanography and geological setting of the Galapagos and showed us photos and films he had shot underwater. The life underwater is huge and diverse.
Lunch was served at 12:30 p.m., in the dining room. There was a lot of choice in the buffet. It was hard not to overeat at every meal with so much to choose from and it was all delicious. We sailed during lunch to Isabela and dropped anchor at Punta Vincente Roca.
With just enough time to digest, at 2:15 p.m., it was time for deep-water snorkelling. I had never deep water snorkelled before so I was a little nervous. The water was a little on the cold side but we had wetsuits. You always buddy up so you can keep each other safe. Gaby was also in the water. We saw a huge number of turtles which sometimes swam straight at you so you had to move quickly to get out of their way. I tried to take some underwater photos but having had them developed it is certainly not easy when you are bobbing about in the water. After about ¾ hour we were back on board. After a quick shower and change we disembarked at 4:00 p.m to go for a Zodiac ride along the coast and cliffs. Again, there were a large number of turtles in the water. Blue footed boobies were nesting on the cliffs. We were all on the lookout for the only penguins that live in the northern hemisphere but you are not guaranteed to see them. We were all looking up at the imposing cliffs when what did we see swimming in the water near our zodiac, not one but two penguins. How lucky were we. They are small but super quick when in the water. They did get out and posed for us on a rock which was a real treat. Lots of photos were taken.
We made our way back to the boat ready to set sail to cross the equator for the third time. We had a wine tasting on the deck with some delicious nibbles waiting for the sun to set and celebrate crossing the equator. We were all given badges and the boats horn was sounded (which made some people jump) very loudly. Everyone was in high spirits.
At 7:00 p.m., we moved into the lounge for our daily recaps and to find out what excitements were in store for us tomorrow. We moved down to the dining room at 7:30 p.m. for another delicious dinner. Lots of talk about the day. Feeling very full and tired it was time for bed to get a goodnight’s sleep before another action packed day.
Some photos courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions.