This morning we visited North Seymour, an island that is the product of uplifted seafloor due to volcanism. Although flat and dry, North Seymour is quite a highlight. The island is home to seabirds like the ever-popular blue-footed booby, which seems to be at the beginning of a new breeding season. Great and magnificent frigates also live on the island, and today, we walked amidst their colonies. In the afternoon, we visited the island of Rabida. The red sandy beach is quite stunning, and we had the opportunity to snorkel amongst endless schools of fish and some Galapagos sea lions. After dinner, our captain navigated along the northeastern coast of Isabela Island. An eruption that began in the early days of January still continues, offering us magnificent views of red glows and incandescent rivers of lava. What a spectacular way to end an amazing first day in the Enchanted Isles!
3/27/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Santiago Island
We are having fun exploring the Galapagos Islands. Today we arrived at the center of the archipelago to explore two magical visitor sites, Buccaneer Cove and Puerto Egas. Early in the morning we explored the shoreline in our Zodiacs and we saw many marine turtles mating and blue-footed boobies diving or resting on the rocks. We also saw frigates, pelicans, terns, and more. After breakfast some of our guests went kayaking for a closer encounter with nature. The snorkeling was also spectacular. We saw three different types of sharks, including a hammerhead. We found a school of eagle rays, a wide variety of multicolor reef fish, and a zebra moray. In the afternoon we explored the coastal line of Puerto Egas. This destination is full of wildlife and along our walk we saw red neck lava lizards, finches, land iguanas, mockingbirds, and hawks. At the intertidal zone we found sea lions, and many migratory birds such as plovers, whimbrels, and ruddy turnstones. We had an amazing day!