On the first morning of our expedition in the Enchanted Isles, we anchored near North Seymour. It’s a small, flat island that may look uninteresting from a distance, but it is full of amazing wildlife. Seabirds like the nutrient-rich waters that surround the island, amongst them both magnificent and great frigatebird species which like the arid vegetation where they can nest. At lunchtime we navigated to Rabida and landed on its unique red beach, home to a colony of endemic and ever-so-busy Galápagos sea lions.
10/4/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Genovesa Island
With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the front balcony of the lounge to see what was going on. We had just entered Darwin’s Bay, dropped anchor, and the juvenile red-footed boobies had found the ship and were flying around us on an inspection tour. The rest of the day continued with discoveries of all kinds. An early morning inversion layer (locally known as “garúa”) had fallen and dampened the environment with much desired drops of fresh water, although the chicks of various species didn’t appear terribly pleased in having wet feathers. On our return, the same bedraggled individuals looked smooth, sleek and dry once the sun had come out. The Galapagos National Park has only two sites for visitors, both spectacular, both well worth a slow walk among the palo santo trees to see the great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, Darwin’s finches, short-eared owls, and storm petrels. Snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the base of the cliffs of Darwin’s Bay followed. There’s nothing quite like this island anywhere in the world.