Fernandina & Isabela

Marine Iguana

Sailing west, we reached the wild edge of the Galápagos — Fernandina Island, one of the youngest and most pristine in the archipelago. The morning began early, as all good adventures apparently do, with a walk across the jet-black lava fields of Punta Espinoza. The main attraction? Marine iguanas. Thousands of them. A mess of iguanas, literally and collectively. They sprawled across the rocks in sleepy, scaly heaps, occasionally sneezing salt and giving side-eye to anyone who ventured too close. If reptiles aren’t your thing, this is not the place for you. There were several near-misses involving boots and tails ...the iguanas utterly unbothered, us slightly less so. Meanwhile, sea lion pups tumbled along the shoreline, clearly living their best, most photogenic lives. Their cuteness almost earned them the star of the show… if only they didn’t smell quite so much like the sea had died twice.

The workhorse of the ship

A mess of iguanas

They look almost pre-historic

They held their ground and so was easy to photograph. I now own an impressive collection of iguana portraits

My favourite are still these little guys. Lava lizards. Also so well camouflaged

The female have a beautiful reddish orange tinge underneath

Sea lion preschool. Young pups play here together waiting for their parents to come back

This tiny one napping in the shade

They love showing off

Super playful

Galapagos penguin, one of the harder to spot animal

Galapagos lava cacti, a pioneer species. Looks like anemone on land...

Close up

Galapagos lava heron. We also saw a Galapagos hawk but I was too slow to take a photo...

Then came deep-water snorkelling along Fernandina’s rugged coastline. Sea turtles drifted by like slow-motion submarines while marine iguanas ate algae and paddled beneath us with surprising grace. We swam among them all — GoPro evidence still pending (Mal, cough cough).

Back on board, we were greeted with steaming mugs of hot chocolate laced with Baileys. Where have you been all my life? It already felt like a full day’s adventure… and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

After lunch came more lectures, equal parts fascinating and nap-inducing, followed by a Zodiac ride along the towering volcanic cliffs of Isabela Island. The afternoon’s lineup was stellar: flightless cormorants, Galápagos penguins, fur seals, and brown noddy terns all making cameo appearances like seasoned celebrities who knew exactly when to pose. I’d tell you more about their unique adaptations and behaviours, but by this point, my brain had reached maximum capacity. I had just enough cognitive capacity to absorb the bare basics.

The day ended in style with wine tasting on the observation deck, a fiery sunset, and a ceremonial crossing of the equator. Technically, we’d crossed it several times overnight, but this was our first “conscious” crossing. National Geographic Endeavour II has evening "recaps" which was a great way to "debrief" on the day's excursions. One of the naturalists would give a short talk on an animal or geological feature and then field questions that guests may have on the day. We were then given an outline of the next day's activities and schedule. This was naturally accompanied by canapés and drinks, because one would not want to starve in the 45 minutes between the talks and dinner. National Geographic went Oprah Winfrey and had surprise giveaways! Hidden under random chairs were prizes far superior to branded pens - we’re talking alpaca shawls, blankets, and even a 30-minute massage. I couldn't believe that I was not one of the winners. The post-dinner talk? Postponed — because every single one of us had face-planted into bed long before it could begin.

Day 11: A mess of iguanas, a splash of Baileys, and one perfectly evolved kind of exhaustion.

Zodiac excursions

Brown noddy tern

The more rare Galapagos fur seal

Flightless cormorant

Sea turtles galore. They had no concept of personal space...

Sunset drinks!

Cheese

Wine tasting. This was our waiter Walter who is awesome

Full moon tomorrow

Crossing the equator

Timed with sunset!