Today, the first full day of our expedition, we started at North Seymour, not very far from Baltra, the airport island. Right at the landing spot we were greeted by a pair of beautiful nesting swallow-tailed gulls. Their unaffected behavior is clear evidence that Galapagos wildlife is unafraid of human beings. Continuing along the 1.6-mile trail we came across frigatebirds, blue-footed boobies, marine and land iguanas, and the popular sea lions, all of them surrounded by stunning volcanic landscape.
After our departure and boat drill, we disembarked at Rábida for snorkeling off the red beach. We followed this with a walk, during which we saw more sea lions, greater American flamingos, American oyster catchers, and an elusive wandering tattler. The evening finished with a stargazing session under the amazing clear sky.
