We enjoyed a full day of activities on Espanola, the oldest island in the Galapagos archipelago and thus teeming with wildlife. We began with an early-morning kayak along the coast of Gardner Bay. After breakfast, we spent time at Gardner Beach, where Galapagos sea lions rested after hunting for hours. Deepwater snorkeling on the leeward side of Gardner Islet was a hit, as playful sea lions came to play with our guests and big schools of fish were seen. Our afternoon was crowned with a hike at Punta Suarez, where observed the courtship behavior of waved albatrosses, who are back on Espanola after an absence of four months!
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.