The Galapagos Islands are a living paradise of wildlife, and today we experienced more of its marvels by visiting two of the most iconic Islands. The best way to begin our expedition was to visit the bird paradise at North Seymour Island. As soon as we landed, two baby Galapagos sea lions were our welcome committee to this magnificent island.
Farther into the trail, the marvels of a fantastic bird paradise were shown to our senses. In the coastal trail, the main highlights were definitely the young Galapagos sea lions that were very curious as they moved from rocks to sand.
As we reached the inner trail, it was time to look for one of the big challenges of the morning: Galapagos land iguanas. These spectacular reptiles were found feeding on a few grassy plants found in the area as an indicator of the wet season. The incense tree forest, along with orange lava boulders, were the perfect decoration for a natural paradise. Once we reached the interior of the incense tree forest, several male frigate birds were displaying their red pouches as well as pronouncing a symphony of sounds to the females. Once we came back on board the National Geographic Endeavour, it was time to start our navigation to our next destination
In the afternoon the adventure just got better, and the best way to begin was in deep water snorkeling activities along the coast of Rabida Island. The magical underwater world of Rabida was so inspiring that it made us feel as if we were inside a natural aquarium. The concentration of reef fishes on the rocks made it perfect for spectacular snorkeling activity. The highlight of the activity was a black-tipped reef shark feeding frenzy.
At the end of our exploration, we had a magical moment as we hiked into the cactus forest of Rabida Island. The color combination of red soil and green vegetation made it perfect for an awe-inspiring view of the visitor site as soon as we reached the highest point of the trail. As we took the Zodiacs back to the National Geographic Endeavour, we enjoyed a marvelous sunset with Isabela Island as background. Today we experienced the inspirations that nature can offer in the living paradise of the Galapagos Islands.
