Today was the first full day of our expedition with National Geographic Islander II. Very early in the morning, we took Zodiacs to Bartolome Island, where we climbed a wooden staircase all the way to the top for one of the most iconic views of the Galapagos Islands. During our Zodiac ride, we spotted the only warm water penguin in the world, the Galapagos penguin, which is also the third smallest. We counted about nine of these adorable creatures. In the afternoon, we took a walk along Cerro Dragon, where we saw almost a dozen Galapagos land iguanas all over the trail. Then it was back to the ship for a sunset cocktail.
5/6/2025
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National Geographic Islander II
North Seymour and Rabida Islands
At 6:30 in the morning, some guests joined us for an expedition on North Seymour Island, which is slowly losing its green color due to the beginning of the dry season. It is a perfect time of year to see blue-footed booby couples starting to reproduce with the typical courtship displays and a good number of male frigatebirds with their red gular sack inflated. We encountered a good number of healthy land iguanas since they still have a lot of food, thanks to the previous wet season. While navigating to Rabida Island, bottlenose dolphins escorted National Geographic Islander II for at least 45 minutes, and guests had an excellent time watching them. In the afternoon, we snorkeled from the beach with colorful fish and young, playful sea lions who put on a great show. At the end of the day some guests took a walk on the red colored sand and watched American flamingos behind the dune at a saltwater lagoon. Others went kayaking along the coast full of land and sea birds.
