In this short video, Unplastify co-founder Agustina Besada shares more about her ongoing mission to inspire teens to “unplastify” their lives and their local communities.
This week's photos from the field included spectacular images of lava flows on La Cumbre, an active volcano on Fernandina Island in the Galápagos Islands.
Guests aboard National Geographic Venture witnessed a rocket launch, while National Geographic Explorer explored South Africa and National Geographic Sea Bird cruised the Columbia River.
With a lovely hike at Seymour, our day started. We took an amazing tender ride around the shorelines of the island. In the afternoon, we enjoyed an amazing snorkel at Rabida Island, which has red sand beaches and sediments along the topography of the island.
Overnight, we traveled north on the Lynn Canal and arrived in Haines, Alaska’s adventure capital. For guests on National Geographic Sea Bird , it was a choose your own adventure day. In the morning, guests could hike to Mt Riley, raft down the Chilkat River, or go flyfishing. In the afternoon, options included flyfishing, a guided bike tour, or a hike to Battery Point. In this small town of a little over 2,000 people, guests explored some amazing wildlife and landscapes. After the day’s outdoor activities, we gathered on National Geographic Sea Bird to exchange stories and learn even more from our naturalists.
We spent the day in San Sebastian, considered by many to be the most beautiful city in Spain. Situated in the mountainous north, this is Basque Country, a region with its own unique language (Euskara), food, and culture. We took a walking tour of this resort city next to France to observe the beautiful architecture, bridges, and churches. Then, we all walked through the old section of the city to visit the Txoko Gastronomic Society, where we sampled several different Basque dishes. Some guests walked up the hill for panoramic views. In the afternoon, National Geographic Explorer cruised out of the very narrow Pasaia Harbor under blues skies. What an amazing sight, as we went by old buildings, fishing boats, waving people, tilted rock layers, and several lighthouses…all very close to us due to the narrow harbor mouth. During the afternoon, we had delicious Swedish pancakes in the bistro for teatime. Later, the captain gave his farewell toast, thanking the entire staff during cocktail hour. Finally, we had a fantastic dinner on our final evening to celebrate an amazing eleven-day voyage around the Iberian Peninsula.
Although the core of an expedition voyage is usually thought to consist of experiences in far-flung, hard-to-reach places, sometimes a town visit is just the thing. A day spent in outdoorsy Haines, Alaska, afforded us an invigorating mix of adventures with local guides and relaxed glimpses of life here along the northernmost reaches of the Inside Passage. High spirits prevailed, buoyed by abundant and cheerful spring sunshine and panoramic views of the town’s spectacular mountainous surroundings. Pigeon guillemots, terns, and bald eagles greeted us on the waterfront as we set out for activities: mountain hikes, cycling tours, fly fishing outings, river floats, and experiences with the culture and stories of the people who have lived on this land and paddled these waters for millennia. As a calm and quiet Saturday morning gave way to a breezy afternoon, streets and shops came alive with locals taking advantage of the weather to run errands and catch up with friends and neighbors. It was refreshing to trade stories and rub shoulders with townsfolk, before returning to National Geographic Sea Lion to continue onward as our own shipboard community.
We enjoyed a beautiful morning exploring the Sitka spruce and hemlock trees dominating the forest along the Lake Eva trail on Chichagof Island; then in the later part of the day we cruised Chatham Strait. Stunning scenery abounded with the lush green understory of mosses, lichens, berry bushes, deer ferns, skunk cabbage, aspen, and Devil’s club, just to name a few. Under the dotted canopy of the trees, we identified signs of recent bear activity, red squirrel caches, and the flitting dance of birds through the understory. The screeches of a soaring bald eagle and the sounds of the songbirds echoed throughout the forest, as the flowing water of the salmon stream gurgled into the brackish lagoon leading to the sea. Our cruise through Chatham Strait had calm winds and seas; we enjoyed expansive views of snow-capped mountains, and intimate tree-lined coastlines with kelp wafting in the shallower waters. It was a great place for all to reflect on the many sights, sounds, smells, and experiences we’ve had over the past 13 days of this Treasures of the Inside Passage expedition from Seattle to Sitka.