North Seymour Island

Departure from Hotel: 08h00 approximately.
Arrival to the Hotel: 16h30 approximately.

Includes: Lunch onboard, naturalist Guide, towels and excursions.
Not Included: Snorkel equipment, beverages and tips.

The Yacht reserves the right to arrive in advance or later without prior notice, if considered appropriate due to National Park rules, major force or any consideration at captain´s discretion, without being liable for refunds of any kind. 

Lying just to the north of Baltra, Seymour is a low island consisting of uplifted submarine lava.  The dry landing on black basaltic lava can be slippery.  After a short climb over the “pillow lavas” the rest of the trail is flat and easy, apart from some boulders on the frigatebird loop.  The landing is rich in wildlife: sea-lions, swallow-tailed gulls, lava gulls, tropicbirds, brown noddy terns and pelicans.  The trail is a large loop; you can either go clockwise along the shore or head inland to visit the booby colony first.

Heading along the shore, you traverse a wide expanse of sand criss-crossed with marine iguana trails.  These reptiles nest here, so be careful where you tread.  Some of the islands’s finest waves pound a boulder beach on your left; young sea-lions often body-surf here.  Looking west, there are good views of the two Daphne islands, Major and Minor.

Right of the trail are saltbush clumps on which magnificent frigatebirds nest.  Males and females nest in the trees; frigates are unusual for Galapagos seabirds in building a nest of twigs.  A side trail goes inland to the breeding area.  Here it can get a bit rocky, so watch your step.  Another branch turns the other way to a flatter area where blue-footed boobies nest. During courtship they spend hours handing nesting materials (twigs and small stones) to each other, but never actually construct a nest.  The area where the eggs are laid is marked by a ring of white guano. The palo santo trees here are an endemic species.  During the garua season they look dead, but after the rains in February, they turn green almost overnight.  Other endemic plants include Opuntia cactus, Croton, Castela, and Sesuvium.  On rare occasions large land iguanas are seen under a shady bush.  They were originally from Baltra (or South Seymour), but were brought over here by scientists many years ago to see if they would survive.

WATCH OUT FOR: 

Galapagos Sea Lion
Lava Lizard
Striped Galapagos Snake
Great Frigatebird
Blue-Footed Booby
Masked Booby
Red-Footed Booby
Brown Pelican
Swallow-Tailed Gull
Ground Finches
Dwarf Palo Santo
Prickly Pear Cactus
Puncture Weed
Leatherleaf  

Marine and Land Iguana
Magnificent Frigatebird
Lava Gull
Common Noddy
Waders
Parkinsonia
Muyuyu
Saltbush
Galapagos Carpetweed
Spiny Bush
Hairy Ground Cherry
Sea Purslane
Hairy Morning Glory
Galapagos Croton

BACHAS BEACH

A common first landing site.  It is a wet landing, where the panga pulls into shallow water or right up on shore and then everyone hops out.  It is best to carry your lightweight walking shoes and disembark barefoot.  There is a delightful swimming beach here, with a lagoon behind, and a longer beach for a stroll and wildlifewatching.  The beach is sandy, and because the cove is sheltered, the water is rarely rough, so it is an easy landing. The saltwater lagoon behind often has great blue herons and small waders such as sanderlings and semi palmated plovers.  Both beaches are nesting areas for green sea turtles.  Marine iguanas lurk on the rocks between the beaches; hermit crabs create tiny tracks in the sand.