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!
4/28/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Española Island
Española Island is considered the oldest of the Galapagos Islands. This island is home to diverse and abundant species, even if from afar it looks like a deserted island. Mockingbirds, endemic to this islands, lava lizards, and large colonies of sea lions are a few of the species that we observed today. Our morning took us to one of the most wonderful and pristine white sandy beaches in the world, Gardner Bay. Here we could try out our snorkeling gear and practice some snorkeling among curious baby sea lions that swam by. We couldn’t miss the opportunity to take our guests on a boat ride to observe the breathtaking coastline of Española. Its dramatic cliffs make the perfect runway for waved albatrosses to take off, as they are a very heavy bird. This species of albatross only nest on this tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and our guests were lucky to observe the first albatrosses of the season, as April is the month in which they return to breed.