Goodbye Galápagos

It was finally time to disembark the National Geographic Endeavour II. As always, the operation ran with military precision (and just a touch of gentle herding). Every detail was thought through — from clear instructions about the process to our carry-ons being whisked away for safekeeping so we could explore San Cristóbal unencumbered.

The team had even hired out an entire café for the morning, complete with drinks, coffee, and a buffet brunch, all included. Meanwhile, our checked bags had already been taken to the airport, and our boarding passes were ready. All we had to do was turn up.

The flight to Guayaquil was smooth. Staff were at hand on theother end to guide us onto buses bound for our hotel. Our room keys were already prepared in envelopes, transfer times neatly noted, and luggage magically appeared in our rooms not long after.

After a week of having everything done for us, the only task left was to find dinner which, oddly enough, felt like hard work.

We kept the evening simple: a quiet meal, a round of repacking, and the satisfying swap of sunhats for down jackets. Tomorrow, we trade sea lions for skyscrapers — next stop, New York City. 

Day 16: Checked out of paradise, checked into reality 

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno in San Cristobal is the capital of the Galapagos

A truck waiting to whisk our hand carry

A small but very safe sleepy town

I just love these guys

The cafe dedicated to us

Brunch options not the healthiest but oh so good

There was a priority pass lounge at the airport!

Options were very simple with service at the table but hey it will do

There were a few flights 

Boobies & Beaches Take 2

Last but not least...the red footed booby

Our last full day in the Galápagos. Bittersweet as I didn’t want the experience to end, but I was also glad to finally retire my sunscreen, which had basically become a second skin.

A rough overnight crossing took us east to San Cristóbal Island, the oldest in the Galápagos archipelago. Our morning destination: Punta Pitt, one of the few places where you can spot all three species of boobies (blue-footed, Nazca, and red-footed) living in relative harmony. They manage this peaceful coexistence thanks to their choice of fishing grounds. The blue-footed stay close to shore, the Nazca hunt farther out, and the red-footed venture furthest to sea. The different depths and distances are also said to influence their foot colour, nature’s way of colour-coding its best fishermen.

The hike up Punta Pitt’s dusty trail was rewarded with stunning views and plenty of bird action. The red-footed boobies were the stars of the show, perched awkwardly in shrubs like overgrown Christmas ornaments. Afterward, a swim in the clear turquoise water, where the presence of sea lions, sea turtles and marine iguanas felt almost routine. When sea lions are your new normal, you know you’ve been spoiled.

The afternoon took us to Cerro Brujo, a long stretch of sugar-white sand where the sea lions reigned supreme once again. These salty sunbathers may be smelly, but they’ve perfected the art of the nap — a life skill I fully aspire to master. It was a simple, unhurried stop - an invitation to just be and savour the quiet. There were no information sessions nor wildlife to tick off. Some strolled the length of the beach, others swam or lay in the sun alongside their whiskered companions, while a few lingered in easy conversation with the naturalists. 

As evening fell, we sailed around Kicker Rock (León Dormido) — a jagged volcanic formation that rises dramatically from the sea, glowing gold in the setting sun. Cocktails in hand, we toasted to the adventure of a lifetime. The farewell dinner was followed by a heartwarming presentation: a compilation of guest photos set to music, curated by the ship’s photographer and sprinkled with his own stunning shots. It was the perfect recap, equal parts laughter, nostalgia, and awe.

I’d grown used to the rhythm of expedition life, the days marked not by clocks but by cheerful PA announcements: “Good morning, it’s 0600. Breakfast is ready in the dining room.” Or, “In fifteen minutes, we’ll begin our snorkelling session.” The idea of wearing a watch again felt almost absurd.

It will be sad to say goodbye to the Galápagos, a place where sea lions nap like they own the place, boobies show off their style, and iguanas look like they’ve seen it all before. Our week with the National Geographic Lindblad team exceeded every expectation - close encounters, wild wonders, and more “wow” moments than I can count.

Day 15: Boobies spotted, sea lions envied, sunscreen retired. A perfect farewell to paradise.

Hike up the plateau

For this view

This looked a huge succulent tree

The booby we came to see

Beautifully coloured heads too

The eastern most point of the archipelago

San Cristobal mockingbird

Baby frigate bird

Lots of napping sea lion photos coming up...scroll by if not interested

I want to nap like that too

Or like this

Sleeping (sea) lions

We can nap hugging too

Sunset at Kicker Rock

Tortoises & Traditions

Giant tortoise

Today brought yet another change of scene...back to the land of people! We anchored off Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, the most populated island in the Galápagos. Breakfast was served at a punctual 6:00 a.m. before we hopped onto the Zodiacs and made our way ashore for a visit to the Charles Darwin Foundation and the Galápagos National Park’s Tortoise Breeding Centre.

Here we learned about the long-running program designed to repopulate the islands with their native giant tortoises, whose numbers once plummeted from over 200,000 to fewer than 15,000 due to hunting and introduced species. Eggs are collected from the wild, incubated safely, and the hatchlings are raised in protective pens for several years until they’re large enough to fend off predators and returned to their respective island of origin - a labourious but successful process that has already helped restore several populations across the islands.

It was also here we paid quiet tribute to Lonesome George, once the last surviving Pinta Island tortoise and an international symbol of conservation. Discovered in 1971 and cared for at this very station for decades, George’s story is bittersweet. Despite years of scientific matchmaking, he passed away in 2012 without producing offspring, marking the extinction of his subspecies. His legacy, however, continues to inspire efforts to ensure no other Galápagos species meets the same fate.

After the visit, we drove into the misty highlands of Santa Cruz to Rancho Primicias, a privately owned reserve set right along the migratory route of the giant tortoises. Rubber boots were handed out (a wise precaution with mud and tortoise poop galore), and we set off in small groups with our naturalists. The “search” was almost laughably easy — tortoises were everywhere, munching, wallowing, or slowly going about their prehistoric business.

Lunch at the ranch was another exercise in efficiency and quiet luxury. The service was polished, the food delicious, and the mobile drinks trolley making its rounds between tables was nothing short of inspired. It’s not every day you sip freshly squeezed passionfruit juice while watching a 200-kilo tortoise lumber past your table.

Important supplies

1st destination

Cactus vital to the giant tortoise 

4 types of iguanas. We've seen 2

These are the saddlebacks

One year old baby tortoises

Two year olds

Lonesome George, whose body has been preserved 

Channeling our inner tortoise

Lunch venue

They were everywhere

These were dome backed. Very large and very old. This one probably at least 100 years old and 200kg

Upon return to the ship, the rest of the day unfolded at a gentler pace. Conference lectures for the anaesthetists and much needed down time (and photo sorting) for the plus ones! An artisan market was set up in the ship’s library, where local craftspeople, invited onboard in partnership with National Geographic Lindblad, displayed their handmade treasures. Jewelry, carvings, hand painted T-shirts, and paintings all told stories of the islands’ people and their connection to this fragile ecosystem. Profits go directly back to the community. It was a timely reminder that the animals needed the support of the local communities to continue to thrive. 

Later, in the lounge, we gathered for the daily debriefing and preview of tomorrow’s adventures and an update from a representative of the Charles Darwin Foundation, who shared insights into their current research and conservation efforts. It was a fitting way to round out a day that had revolved around the giant tortoise and the ongoing work to protect its home.

After dinner, the lounge transformed once more for a bit of after-hours entertainment. EcoArte, a local group of musicians and dancers, filled the room with rhythm and colour. Their infectious energy was a joyful celebration of Ecuadorian culture and, for those of us who had been running on caffeine and sheer determination, a final burst of life before we drifted off to sleep.

Day 14: A hundred-year-old tortoise, a handmade treasure, and a renewed faith in slow but steady progress.

It was important to make a purchase to support conservation...

I should really refrain from the pre-dinner cocktails

More interesting than expected!

Live entertainment

Sharks, Sea Lions & Sangria

Sunset sea lion and her baby

After twelve days of non-stop activity, I finally rebelled against the 6:15 am kayaking session. The sensible, ok lazy, option was surely the 8:00 am Zodiac excursion. After all, both activities explored the same area, Buccaneer Cove of Santiago Island. Breakfast first, adventure later.

The morning began with a Nazca booby sighting, the largest and arguably most theatrical of the three Galápagos booby species. These birds are infamous for their ruthless streak with chicks often engaging in siblicide, pushing a sibling from the nest to ensure their own survival. Nature doesn’t do participation awards here.

No morning in the Galápagos would be complete without another round of snorkeling, and today’s brought a high-stakes game of chicken with sea lions. They torpedoed past with fearless precision, whirling and twisting playfully. I had to trust in both their agility and my own luck that we wouldn’t collide. Beneath us, a white-tip reef shark and a Galápagos shark cruised lazily through a kaleidoscope of reef fish. We surfaced to find warm chocolate chip cookies and freshly squeezed passionfruit juice waiting on deck. Going back to the real world was going to be tough!

Watching the 0615 kayakers return

Jason, naturalist, on the right. Washington, my favourite zodiac driver, sailor and local fisherman by family trade

I'm Australian I don't touch no jellyfish

The zodiacs hugged the coast to look at geology as well as look for animals

Apparently those little things were ghost crabs

One of the main reasons to come here

The Nazca booby!

Starfish

2 female frigate birds fighting in the air

Whatever this coffee flavoured dessert was, it was an amazing way to end lunch

Lunch followed and...miracle of miracles, an afternoon nap! Bliss was short-lived, though. Mal shook me awake at 3:00 p.m. for our hike on Puerto Egas, where we were greeted by a flurry of birdlife: American oystercatchers, Galápagos doves, Darwin’s finches, yellow warblers, mockingbirds, great blue herons, and yellow-crowned night herons. October marks the end of sea lion pupping season, so the shoreline was a nursery of adorable, noisy chaos - pups of all ages lounging, nursing, and playing.

It is worth taking a moment to highlight the staff and the efforts they go to to educate us. Jason, one of many amazing naturalists who was also the undersea specialist and photographers, had put together a video of all the creatures we had seen on our snorkels. No recycled footage from previous expeditions. Wow, our Gopro footage looked even worse than we previously thought. It also made us wonder how much we were NOT seeing!

It’s worth pausing to appreciate the incredible staff who somehow manage to educate, entertain, and wrangle a boatful of guests with effortless charm. Jason, one of the ship’s many brilliant naturalists — and the resident undersea specialist and photographer — had compiled a video montage of everything we’d encountered on our snorkels. Every frame was from our expedition, not recycled clips from past trips. All filmed whilst supervising guests and without diving. The result was equal parts awe-inspiring and humbling. His footage was so crisp and cinematic that it made our poor GoPro attempts look like they’d been filmed through a sock. It also left us wondering, with a mix of admiration and mild despair , just how much incredible life we’d been swimming past (or walking past for that matter) without even noticing.

Dinner that night was a BBQ feast on the observation deck that turned out far classier than expected. I may have indulged in one too many sangrias...The evening wrapped up with a talk by Rubén, another one of the naturalists onboard, on The Human History of the Galápagos. Fascinating, though I confess I absorbed about as much as a sea sponge at low tide. Another crash-and-burn ending to another unforgettable day.

Day13: Lazy morning, lively sea lions, and just enough sangria to make lectures optional.

This sleepy one greeted on our arrival at the beach

Different island, different microclimate

Galapagos dove. Bright red feet, bright blue ring around the eyes

Yellow crowned night heron hiding amongst the rocks

American oyster catchers. Super talkative and loud!!

My favourite bird, yellow warbler. Tiny but bright!

Pups private plunge pool

This older pup was yelling for mum to get food

Sally Lightfoot crabs everywhere

Great blue heron

Mum protecting her weeks old pup

Posing in the sunset

New friends. All the plus ones!

Alpha male with his harem of females and pups

Still sleeping when we left!

This strong concoction was the beginning of my downfall

Resorting to capturing photos from Jason's video because our gopro footage sucked!

Eagle ray. The one thing that we DIDN'T see today was the manta ray and this was their place apparently

BBQ on the top deck for dinner