Galapagos Journey Log: Day 4 Urbina Bay Hikes, The Long and The Short of Them Lindblad’s National Geographic Endeavour will spend the entire day at Isabela, largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago. Less than a decade ago, this island was overrun with feral goats and pigs brought in by settlers. Their continued destruction of the endemic flora and fauna threatened the survival of the land iguanas and giant tortoises, prompting the National Park Service to undertake the …
Journey Log: Day 3 AM Fernandina Island During the night, Lindblad’s National Geographic Endeavour crosses the equator to take us into the westernmost section of the Galapagos where the undersea upwelling creates cool water temperatures as low as the mid-50’s F. This cold water provides a rich marine smorgasbord for the sea lions, marine iguanas and flightless cormorants residing in the region. Our first landing of the day is on Fernandina Island, at one of the Galapagos’ …
Journey Log: Day 2 Although in the Galapagos the same endemic animals are present year-round, their mating and nesting are seasonal. The one bird I want most to photograph is the male magnificent frigatebird, which in the breeding season looks like it’s swallowed a bright red balloon. The bird inflates its red throat pouch as part of its courtship to attract a mate while perched on small plants with their heads bent back. It also uses the …
Journey Log: Day 1 The lifeboat drill is one of the first things that happens on every cruise, and it’s no different on the Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour. Normally, once the drill is over, you stuff your lifejacket away in your cabin and that’s the last you see of it. It doesn’t work that way here, not with repeated Zodiac shuttles to Galapagos landfalls throughout the week, sometimes two and three times a day. Fortunately, these life …
By Linda O’Keefe Since we didn’t get to sleep until around 1 a.m., the sound of the alarm two and half hours later was met by loud groans of protest from both Tim and me. Knowing we were finally on the way to the Galapagos made the early rising a bit easier to handle. We were enjoying such early morning misery because we’d opted not to take Lindblad Expeditions-recommended American Airlines non-stop flight from Miami to Guayaquil …
What should you bring for your Lindblad’s National Geographic Endeavour cruise? (Or any other Galapagos cruise?) Suitcase Restrictions Depending on airline, you may be able to take two bags weighing 50 pounds each to Guayaquil or Quito but you can’t take both to the Galapagos. You’re limited to a single 40-pound checked bag to the Galapagos, which means you must pack carefully. Leave any extra bags at your hotel, which you can pick on when you return. …
Although our blogs are written in present tense, our trip was Oct.7-16. We’re posting afterwards because there simply was no time to write during the cruise. These tips are based on the conditions we encountered. Most of the naturalist-guides on Lindblad’s National Geographic Endeavour are also expert photographers. Two photography sessions are held on board, one on techniques early in the trip and one on how to share your photos with friends at the end. On the …
Everything positive seems to take a long time . . . The naturalist-guides on the Lindblad’s National Geographic Endeavour will go into Charles Darwin in far more detail than I can here, though none of them — in fact, no one anywhere that I can find — has appreciated the legacy of Charles Darwin in this manner. Yet it seems so strikingly obvious. Charles Darwin and his legacy of fame did save the Galapagos Islands. With the …
Normally it’s impossible on the same day to snorkel with such cold water animals as penguins and fur seals and at the same time encounter typically warm water reef fish like Moorish idols and the red-colored squirrelfish and soldierfish. Cold and warm water marine animals usually are found thousands of miles (and thousands of dollars) apart … except in the fabled Galapagos Islands. Even more intriguing are the Galapagos’ fascinating land animals, particularly the giant tortoises, marine …
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