North Seymour & Rabida Islands, 12/4/2022, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
During the first full day of our expedition, guests of National Geographic Endeavour II explored North Seymour Island. During the morning, everybody went on a hike to observe and photograph marine birds, including blue-footed boobies and frigatebirds. In the afternoon, guests had chances to snorkel and hike on Rabida Island.
Salvador Cazar studied biology at the Universidad Nacional Del Sur, Bahía Blanca, in Argentina and at the Catholic University of Ecuador. Between 1988 and 1994, Salvador worked as a naturalist and tour leader for several national and international to...
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The western archipelago welcomed us with great experiences. We had an incredible hike in the morning surrounded by wildlife and breathtaking landscapes. The snorkeling was full of wonder. For most of our guests, it was their first time swimming with turtles (and with so many of them!). We explored the coast of Punta Vicente Roca in our Zodiacs, and it was magical. We saw even more than we expected, with so much wildlife in and out of the water. We still have many more wonders to come during this incredible expedition!
It is our first full day in the Galápagos, and we visited two different islands, Seymour and Rábida. Early in the morning, we took a hike on Seymour Island, a place that holds one of the largest nesting sites for blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds, and swallow-tailed gulls. We also had the opportunity to explore the shore by Zodiac, observing the fascinating wildlife of the Galápagos. Later in the day, National Geographic Endeavour II changed location to Rábida Island, a site unique in the world due to its high concentration of iron, which gives the island its distinctive red color. Here, we had our first look at the abundant marine wildlife that the Galápagos Islands offer. As the sun was setting, we took a short stroll along the beach, wrapping up a wonderful day.
On our first day in the Galapagos, we visited the small island of South Plaza. With only a tenth of a mile, this beautiful place is a world in itself. A large colony of the land iguanas were feeding on the endemic variety of Opuntia cacti that inhabits this destination. A seabird colony was nesting nearby with different species settling right next to each other. Among them were the gorgeous swallow-tailed gull, unique for its behavior of feeding at night. Snorkeling was a fantastic experience on Santa Fe Island. We had sea lion pups and colorful fish join us. For the second part of the afternoon, we enjoyed a great hike through a forest of the giant Opuntia cacti which is endemic to this island. Lots of land birds tagged along, including finches, mockingbirds, and Galapagos doves, all amazing and curious. It was a great day in the Galapagos Islands on board National Geographic Gemini !
