The last day of our expedition brought us to Santiago Island; here Charles Darwin spent nine days on land walking and exploring, and we were following his footsteps. In the morning, we visited the beautiful beach of Espumilla. An easy stroll along the mangroves and soft sand was offered before breakfast. We observed blue-footed boobies diving and Galapagos hawks. Afterwards, we enjoyed kayaking at Buccaneer’s Cove with great weather conditions: the sea was smooth, and the water was crystal clear. It was a great opportunity for deep water snorkeling with colorful fish and huge schools of sardines and black striped salemas. The afternoon brought us to Puerto Egas, a great place to enjoy time at the black, sandy beach. We also offered an optional amazing hike along the coastal area. We became amazed explorers, as Galapagos is a learning experience!
5/6/2025
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National Geographic Islander II
North Seymour and Rabida Islands
At 6:30 in the morning, some guests joined us for an expedition on North Seymour Island, which is slowly losing its green color due to the beginning of the dry season. It is a perfect time of year to see blue-footed booby couples starting to reproduce with the typical courtship displays and a good number of male frigatebirds with their red gular sack inflated. We encountered a good number of healthy land iguanas since they still have a lot of food, thanks to the previous wet season. While navigating to Rabida Island, bottlenose dolphins escorted National Geographic Islander II for at least 45 minutes, and guests had an excellent time watching them. In the afternoon, we snorkeled from the beach with colorful fish and young, playful sea lions who put on a great show. At the end of the day some guests took a walk on the red colored sand and watched American flamingos behind the dune at a saltwater lagoon. Others went kayaking along the coast full of land and sea birds.
