These two islands are a world within themselves. In the morning, we visited North Seymour Island, where we observed nesting seabirds from a close distance. Two species of frigatebirds nested near blue-footed boobies. We enjoyed observing a colony of sea lions, marine iguanas, and crabs. In the afternoon, we navigated to Rabida Island with its striking red sand beach. We had a wet landing and explored the island’s underwater world, which is rich in wildlife. After our time in the water, we took a stroll along the beach to see nesting flamingos and sea lions resting on the sand. This was a full day of expeditions in the Galapagos Islands.
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 11 Oct 2022
North Seymour & Rabida Islands, 10/11/2022, National Geographic Islander II
- Aboard the National Geographic Islander II
- Galápagos
Patricio Maldonado, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
Patricio, better known as Pato amongst his friends, was born in the Galápagos Islands. His family moved to the islands from the mainland and settled on the island of Santa Cruz over thirty-five years ago. Pato had an enchanted childhood in the island...
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Galápagos Escape: An 8-Day Voyage
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North Seymour and Rabida Islands
Today was an amazing day from sunrise to sunset. We explored the beautiful North Seymour Island in the first part of the day. So many birds! We even saw the fascinating courtship dance of the blue-footed boobies. What a treat! In the afternoon, we went for our first snorkeling experience in the Galapagos, swimming with sea lions and so many fish. To end our day, we had the option to go for a photo-oriented or natural history walk along the astonishing red sand beach of Rabida Island. I oversaw the photo-oriented walk, and we had so much fun. Our guests put into practice what they learned during the photo presentation we had yesterday, and the result was amazing. We cannot wait for another day full of adventures in the Galapagos Archipelago.
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Santa Cruz Island
Our first full day had plenty of wonderful surprises as we disembarked in Puerto Ayora, the main town on Santa Cruz Island. As soon as we arrived, we took a bus all the way to the highlands of Santa Cruz until we reached El Trapiche Farm, a unique site where the guests of National Geographic Islander II learned about the production of organic coffee, cocoa, and sugarcane liquor. Afterwards, we visited the Twin Craters. This amazing site is comprised of two incredible pit craters formed by the collapse of volcanic magma chambers. The area is surrounded by a forest of the unique Scalesia pedunculata, a tree that is endemic to the area. The spectacular visit to El Manzanillo Ranch gave us the opportunity to walk among the incredible Galapagos giant tortoises, often found in the early afternoon having lunch and resting. Being surrounded by these gentle giants was the best way of ending our visit.