Million Air Winter 2023/24

EXPLORE THE JOURNEY

Below, from top Galapagos penguins; one of the suites at Pikaia Lodge

DAY4 We’re in search of the Galapagos penguin, the planet’s second-smallest species of penguin and the only one to reside in the northern hemisphere. Our luck holds and, as the panga cruises in Sullivan Bay, I count nearly two dozen. We enjoy a midday hike during the penguin mission to the steep crest of Bartolomé Island, where we are rewarded with the Galapagos’s most photographed view: Pinnacle Rock. With temperatures soaring, the water calls and we don our snorkel gear. Eyes peeled, we come across blacktip and whitetip reef sharks before fi nding ourselves above a shoal of fi sh. Ina fl ash, eight torpedoing penguins arrive in search of lunch, and we’re suddenly nose to nose (or beak). Raising my head above the water, I make eye contact with one that has also popped up for air and I wonder, for a moment, if I’m hallucinating. Aswe fl ipper our way to the sands of nearby Golden Bay, a large sea turtle glides alongside us for a while — another unforgettable encounter. Raising my head above the water, I make eye contact with [a Galapagos penguin] that has also popped up for air and I wonder, for a moment, if I’m hallucinating

Photos Pikaia Lodge, Hotel del Parque