In the morning, we visited the island of North Seymour. This small island, centrally located, is home for a large number of seabirds. We were very lucky to see blue-footed boobies, great and magnificent frigatebirds, brown pelicans, and swallow-tailed gulls right on the trail. The birds’ tameness is amazing. It is an overwhelming feeling to see the birds and feel like we become part of nature. North Seymour Island was a highlight, as we found a colony of Galapagos sea lions coexisting in peace with Galapagos land iguanas. In the afternoon, we visited the red island of Rabida. The island is a great place for snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean with colorful fish and playful Galapagos sea lions. We finished the day with an easy stroll. We observed greater flamingos and enjoyed every minute with the Galapagos sea lions. What a wonderful start in the Enchanted Islands!
5/29/2025
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National Geographic Gemini
Genovesa Island
Genovesa is considered one of the Galapagos crown jewels, and today it was showing off all of its splendor. Immediately after breakfast we put on our sturdy shoes and set out to explore Prince Philip’s Steps. This area is known for opportunities to observe not only large colonies of nesting Nazca and red-footed boobies, but maybe, just maybe, the short-eared owl which exhibits diurnal behavior on this island. After this walk we got ready for a dip in the Pacific Ocean and snorkeling along the inner coast of this caldera. The afternoon was equally amazing as we disembarked to explore Darwin Bay, along a short and easy trail that was packed with wildlife. Here we observed not only nesting frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies, but also a few yellow-crowned night herons. It was another incredible afternoon in the Galapagos Islands.
