The Galápagos Archipelago consists of approximately 13 larger islands, with the youngest located in the west and the oldest toward the east. Those eastern islands show a higher rate of endemism, as creatures have a longer span of time to evolve into new forms, which can only be found here. Today we visited Española, the easternmost of the Enchanted Isles, which is also the home to the only tropical albatross in the world: the waved albatross. With its amazing wildlife and stunning landscapes, there is no better way to start our expedition in the Galápagos!
7/3/2022
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National Geographic Endeavour II
North Seymour and Rábida
For this first full day, we started with a walk over North Seymour Island, located on the north side of Baltra Island (officially known as South Seymour). This uplifted island is also known as Bird Island. It is home to a nice community of marine birds, such as blue-footed boobies, two species of frigatebirds, and swallow-tailed gulls (the only nocturnal gull). For our afternoon activities, we snorkeled by a red colored beach on Rábida island. We concluded the day with a stroll over an iron-oxide beach. Along the trail, we explored a saltwater lagoon with sixteen American flamingos. We even saw some nests!
