North Seymour Island is located in the central realm of the Galapagos Islands, and it is a small island compared to others. This island is one of the best spots to find great and magnificent frigatebirds in their breeding grounds, and it is also the home for Galapagos land iguanas. We disembarked the ship and started the day with a walk along the trail, where we observed small forest of Galapagos incense trees. At this time of the year, these trees are starting to get leaves and flowers, creating a sweet scent that lingers in the air, attracting land iguanas who depend on this good source of food. Along the path, we found land iguanas, lava lizards, and several male frigatebirds displaying their red inflated gular pouches to attract mates, while the females flew overhead, looking down to select an attractive partner. Both species were observed here, the great and the magnificent.
We returned to the National Geographic Endeavour after the morning’s activities, and later on, our guests began to prepare for an afternoon snorkeling excursion. After a short navigation, we arrived to Rábida Island, where we went snorkeling from the beach as well as from our Zodiacs. This was a very successful outing; there were green sea turtles, Galapagos penguins, rays, and several different species of fish.
Later on, we disembarked and went for a hike on Rábida, where extraordinary landscapes, land birds, marine iguanas and Galapagos sea lions made a great impression on everyone. The bright red color of the lava rocks creates a contrast with the green vegetation and the bright yellow flowers of the Galapagos prickly pear cactus. This combination of wildlife and landscapes makes Rábida a very special place.
At the end of the afternoon, we returned to our ship and had our first session of recaps, drinks, and good exchange of experiences from today.
