For the very first time this week, the National Geographic Endeavour took us across the equator line, and this special event happened last evening with good navigational conditions, and under a beautiful starry sky. We dropped anchor at sunrise, and shortly afterwards a group of guests began the day kayaking along the caldera of Genovesa Island.
Genovesa is a very pristine island with one of the largest populations of sea birds in the Galápagos. As soon as we arrived, red footed boobies gave us the official welcome by circling our ship and perching on it. The island is so pristine that the National Park Service has arranged two different visiting sites, in order to minimize the impact by having half of our group visit one site while the other half is at the other site. This way, the nesting colony of sea birds of the Island can be very comfortable when we walk in the trails.
Every single corner in this place is very special; the combination of flora and fauna creates a unique landscape. Even though today was our last expedition day in the Galápagos, our guests came across three species of animals that they had not yet seen during this week. Several short-eared owls hunting for storm petrels, thousands of very active red footed boobies, and a colony of fur seals were, without any doubt, the highlights of the day.
