Today was our first full day in the Galapagos Islands, and we started with one of the most spectaculars islands, Seymour North. Located in central part of the archipelago, Seymour is one of the most important nesting sites for sea birds. A true paradise on earth, today the island revealed all its beauty, beyond any words or pictures.
We started our hike, getting deep into the dry vegetation; the landscape was stunning, contrasted against the turquoise water. Just to experience the fearlessness of the animals that surrounded us, including blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls, marine iguanas, land iguanas, sea lions and more. Magnificent and great frigatebirds were actively taking care of their young in the nests, or waiting with their pouches blown up, searching for a mate. We did not need binoculars to spot boobies nesting with their eggs and chicks, as well as juveniles that were just in the trail.
In the afternoon, we had an amazing snorkel excursion in Rabida Island with Galapagos sea lions, Pacific green sea turtles, stingrays, white-tipped reef sharks, and many tropical fish. To complete our day, we enjoyed a sunset hike on a red sandy area, where we spotted a greater flamingo, a Galapagos snake, American oystercatchers, and the stars of the show, the Galapagos sea lions. This was a wonderful day in paradise cruising with National Geographic Endeavour II.
