North Seymour & Rabida Islands
There is one more day to go before the end of the year, and on board the National Geographic Endeavour the atmosphere is quite warm and friendly. Following the schedule of our expedition in the Enchanted Islands, we set off to visit North Seymour, a small, flat islet north of Baltra. This is one of the highlights of the Galapagos due to the number of species that inhabit it.
Close to the trail the sightings of magnificent and great frigatebirds abound; we encountered several blue-footed boobies, one of the most charismatic species of the islands, which seem to be starting a new breeding season as many of them were practicing their famous “booby dance.” Galapagos sea lions are also found here in North Seymour. Reptiles are represented by the various land iguanas spotted today; as the sun warmed up the ground, more and more of them came out of their boroughs ready to munch their favorite cactus pad. We returned back onboard and while we were still anchored we were fortunate to spot a small pod of bottle-nosed dolphins, who seemed to be fishing around us.
On our way to our next destination, Rabida, we were also amazed at the acrobatics displayed by several giant manta rays… fantastic! Upon approach, Rabida already looks different with its red cliffs and lavas. The coast of this island proved to be an amazing snorkeling site; the water conditions were perfect and many of our fearless snorkelers had a chance to see a white-tipped reef shark, Pacific green sea turtles, sting rays, marine iguanas, as well as many fish species. Not far, a flock of blue-footed boobies kept diving and hunting their fish, a sight that would stay with us for the rest of the afternoon.
After a brief stop onboard in order to change into our dry clothes, we departed again, this time for a short hike on Rabida. The landing beach is quite stunning with its deep red sands, and a colony of Galapagos sea lions dominate the area. Young pups, juveniles, females and males were all there, oblivious to our presence. We walked up along the trail that crosses the dry forest of incense trees and Opuntia cacti. The views over the beach, the brackish lagoon, the ocean and the nearby islands were stunning… it all adds to this amazing opportunity to experience this remote and unique place, the Galapagos Islands.
