Tower, or Genovesa, is home to over one million seabirds. Our highlights here were diverse, from Nazca, red, blue-footed boobies, and gulls, to owls, fur seals, and sea life.
Our adventure began with a walk that started at the famous Prince Philip’s Steps where we were surrounded by Nazca, red-footed boobies, and frigatebirds. An elusive juvenile short-ear owl was spotted by our naturalist Jeffo, who spotted it hiding or resting at the crevice and saved the day. All of us felt rewarded to have this unique view of the only camouflaged diurnal raptor. Today we were also able to spot frigatebirds with their babies.
Back aboard we prepared for our last snorkeling outing in search of the undersea realm. Today we had close encounters with many fish and playful sea lions for the last time. Seeing them close brought excitement and admiration. Some of us also opted for a visit back to the beach for some shallow-water snorkeling and relaxation.
After this great adventure, we came back to our ship, anchored inside the Genovesa caldera. We were briefed about our departure and then enjoyed our last delicious lunch, the pride for our culinary staff.
Soon after, we went kayaking along the ring of the caldera as the sun was rising high on the mighty equator.
We were then ready to start our next adventure, which was a wet landing on a white coralline beach inside Darwin Bay, named by a celebrity visitor, William Beebe, in honor of a great naturalist who re-directed human thought, Charles Darwin. At high tide and over a platform we had our walk, surrounded by birds of all kinds and their chicks, and observed their behavior and colors. We were first moved to see such active seabirds and parents taking care of juveniles, hoping one day they will be able to fend for themselves. We were also happy to find a few marine iguanas, which are smaller and darker as this northern hemisphere island has a much different ecology and, like a Pitri-dish, different results.
Taking this walk was like being transported back in time. There were birds flying all over, like in prehistoric times, and lava formations resembling the first foundation of Earth. Later, it was time to return to the ship and reminisce about the many experiences of such a wonderful week. As we look back and gaze at the islands for the last time, this place now seems to be timeless to us. It is now deep within our hearts. Our experience has been unforgettable on these special islands, where the wildlife that has no fear and allows us to realize that we are not so different from each other.
“We must not acknowledge the methodical saying ‘don’t humanize the animals’ but instead ‘animalize the human’ by perceiving our surrounding with all our senses; embracing nature by coexistence and respect for one another, so we can become one with nature as we once were.” Celso Montalvo.
We have all bonded like a family, united by this invisible mysticism. At the end of our journey we hope to stay in touch and that the experience our guests had this week will stay with them for a lifetime. Adios, amigos.
