North Seymour Island, Santa Fe Island and “Hidden Beach” (so well hidden I don’t even know if it really exists)
I have been in the Galápagos since 1992, and it still surprises me to discover that there are so many places yet to discover and to explore. We had such a fabulous day that I feel my life has been enriched with new colors and tastes. I will sleep so well tonight!
Some of our guests chose to go to North Seymour Island in the company of our naturalists Gilda and Rafael. They walked through nesting blue-footed boobies and breathed the aroma of an endemic holy tree, found only on that tiny island in the whole world. They could clearly notice the difference between the two kinds of frigate birds, the great and the magnificent. A magnificent male has magenta on his back feathers (M goes with M), and the great male had green (G goes with G).
Most of our guests chose to go to Santa Fe Island, where we enjoyed the crystal clear waters of a turquoise bay with baby sea lions and rays. Parrot fish, king angel fish, trigger fish and hundreds of salemas swam underneath our snorkelers. From Santa Fe we rode the waves to “Playa Escondida” or hidden beach.
How can I describe such a place? It is truly out of sight behind the lava, the mangroves and the waves. It was a mirage of the whitest sand, the greenest shore and the most beautiful sea. We set the tables in the middle of the beach and had a sophisticated picnic with beer, wine and all kinds of soft drinks. Many played soccer, many sunbathed, and others explored the even more hidden bays to the south. A couple of American Oyster catchers joined us in the feast, and I swam out, in the company of Arden, Nickalus and Blake Flamson in search of sharks and turtles. We discovered many shallows and many rocks, and when we looked back behind us, the beach was gone. It was hidden again, with lava and waves protecting its secrets.
While I write these lines, I wonder if I actually did go to “Playa Escondida” and if I will ever be able to find it again.
I have been in the Galápagos since 1992, and it still surprises me to discover that there are so many places yet to discover and to explore. We had such a fabulous day that I feel my life has been enriched with new colors and tastes. I will sleep so well tonight!
Some of our guests chose to go to North Seymour Island in the company of our naturalists Gilda and Rafael. They walked through nesting blue-footed boobies and breathed the aroma of an endemic holy tree, found only on that tiny island in the whole world. They could clearly notice the difference between the two kinds of frigate birds, the great and the magnificent. A magnificent male has magenta on his back feathers (M goes with M), and the great male had green (G goes with G).
Most of our guests chose to go to Santa Fe Island, where we enjoyed the crystal clear waters of a turquoise bay with baby sea lions and rays. Parrot fish, king angel fish, trigger fish and hundreds of salemas swam underneath our snorkelers. From Santa Fe we rode the waves to “Playa Escondida” or hidden beach.
How can I describe such a place? It is truly out of sight behind the lava, the mangroves and the waves. It was a mirage of the whitest sand, the greenest shore and the most beautiful sea. We set the tables in the middle of the beach and had a sophisticated picnic with beer, wine and all kinds of soft drinks. Many played soccer, many sunbathed, and others explored the even more hidden bays to the south. A couple of American Oyster catchers joined us in the feast, and I swam out, in the company of Arden, Nickalus and Blake Flamson in search of sharks and turtles. We discovered many shallows and many rocks, and when we looked back behind us, the beach was gone. It was hidden again, with lava and waves protecting its secrets.
While I write these lines, I wonder if I actually did go to “Playa Escondida” and if I will ever be able to find it again.
