North Seymour and Rabida Island, 9/22/2024, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Today we visited two of the most beautiful islands in the Galapagos Archipelago. In the morning, we went to explore North Seymour to search for sea birds and land iguanas. In the afternoon, we had a blast snorkeling at Rabida Island. We finished the day with a spectacular sunset as we walked along the beach on Rabida.
Javier grew up on Santa Cruz island where his grandparents first arrived in the 1940´s. Veritable pioneers, his grandparents settled in the highlands where they found a place to raise their children.
On our very first expedition day, during the morning we visited the small island of South Plazas. Not too far from the landing site we spotted the Galapagos yellow land iguana. We saw many iguanas under the prickly pear cacti, taking advantage of the fallen pads, as it is their main food source on the island. Also on South Plazas, guests were impacted by the dramatic cliffs and the different species of marine birds flying around — one that especially stood out was the red-billed tropicbird. In the afternoon we visited the island of Santa Fe, where we enjoyed the first snorkeling opportunity of our trip in the beautiful bay. We were greeted by a colony of playful Galapagos sea lions underwater. After snorkeling, we landed on a white sandy beach to start our walk along the arid forest of the Galapagos Islands. We saw many giant prickly pears; the stunning formations with tree-like trunks captivated the attention of our guests. It was indeed a great start for our trip of a lifetime.
Today, our adventure began on North Seymour, where guests took their first hike on Galápagos soil. We watched blue-footed boobies performing their quirky courtship dance, their bright feet a striking contrast against the rocky landscape. Along the trail, we spotted both species of frigatebirds – the magnificent and the great frigatebird. We learned to tell them apart by their size, the color of their throat pouches, and flight patterns. Land iguanas lounged nearby with their golden scales blending into the dry terrain. In the afternoon, we reached Rábida, known for its red sands and stunning views. Here, our guests took their first snorkeling plunge, swimming alongside playful sea lions, colorful parrotfish, and the graceful silhouette of a sea turtle. Before heading back, we visited a small lagoon, where a few flamingos stood quietly, their pink feathers reflected in the still waters – a fitting end to an unforgettable day.
Today’s expedition took us to one of the most unique geological landscapes in the Galapagos Archipelago. We started with a walking exploration at Sullivan Bay, where we observed a relatively recent lava field formation from 1897: a vast field of pahoehoe lava stretching several kilometers along the east coast of Santiago Island. In the later morning, we spotted a feeding frenzy of blue-footed boobies and Galapagos penguins along the coastline. In the afternoon, we hiked to the summit of Bartolome Island. The presence of spatter cones flanking the island invited us to think about the geological genesis of the Galapagos Islands. As we were descending to the landing site, a dominant male sea lion was resting by the pier where our Zodiac drivers were expecting our arrival. At the end of the day we gathered in the observation deck of National Geographic Gemini to celebrate our successful week of exploration, while we commented on the importance of preserving the beautiful Galapagos Archipelago for future generations to come.
