North Seymour and Rabida Islands
The Galápagos Islands are a living paradise of wildlife, and today we experienced some of its marvels by visiting two of the most iconic Islands. The best way to begin our expedition was to visit the bird paradise at North Seymour Island. As soon as we landed, two baby Galápagos sea lions were our welcoming committee to this magnificent island.
Farther into the trail, the marvels of a fantastic bird paradise were shown to our senses. On the coastal trail, the main highlight was definitely the young Galápagos sea lions that were very curious as they were moving from rocks to sand.
As we reached the inner trail, it was time for one of the big challenges of the morning: finding the Galápagos land iguanas. These spectacular reptiles were observed feeding on a few grassy plants found in the area as an indicator of the wet season. Once we reached the interior of the incense tree forest, several male frigatebirds were displaying their red pouches to the females. At the end of the visit we watched a female marine iguana feeding on green leaves from the top of a tree.
Once we came back on board the National Geographic Endeavour, it was time to enjoy one of the best activities of the day: deep-water snorkeling. The Galápagos marine reserve showed its marvels as we swam along the cliffs of North Seymour: reef fishes of many different colors were the perfect contrast for a charming moment underwater. As soon as the activity was over, we pulled anchor and started sailing to our next destination.
In the afternoon the adventure just got better, and the best way to begin it was by deep-water snorkeling along the coast of Rabida Island. The magic underwater world of Rabida made us feel like we were inside a natural aquarium. The concentration of reef fishes on the rocks made for a spectacular snorkeling activity.
At the end of our exploration, we had a magical moment as we hiked into the cactus forest of Rabida Island. The combination of red soil and green vegetation made for an awe-inspiring view as we reached the highest point of the trail.
As we took the Zodiacs back to the National Geographic Endeavour, we enjoyed a marvelous sunset with Isabela Island as background. Today we experienced the inspirations that nature can offer in the living paradise of the Galápagos Islands.
