The Galápagos Islands are a living paradise of wildlife, and today we experienced more of its marvels by visiting two of the most iconic islands.
Our first stop was North Seymour Island, where as soon as we landed we were welcomed by two baby Galápagos sea lions. On the coastal trail, the highlight was definitely the young sea lions moving from rocks to sand. Farther into the trail, the wonders of this fantastic bird paradise were shown to our senses.
As we reached the inner trail, it was time to look for Galápagos land iguanas. We spotted these remarkable reptiles resting in the area, which featured orange lava boulders and an incense tree forest. Once we reached the interior of the incense tree forest, several male frigatebirds displayed their red pouches to the females and produced a symphony of sounds.
Back on board the National Geographic Endeavour, we weighed anchor and headed to our next destination. In the afternoon, some of us went deep-water snorkeling along the coast of Rabida Island. The magical underwater world made us feel like we were inside a natural aquarium. The concentration of reef fish among the rocks made the snorkeling even more spectacular.
At the end of our exploration, we had a magical moment as we hiked into the cactus forest of Rabida Island. The combination of red soil and green vegetation made for an awe-inspiring view of the visitor site when we reached the highest point of the trail. As we took Zodiacs back to the Endeavour, we enjoyed a marvelous sunset with Isabela Island in the background.
