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.
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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 !
