Meeting point: At the entrance of Puerto Ayora’s Church, in front of the pier and aside from the restaurant “El Descanso del Guía”
Departure hour: 08h30
Arriving site: Puerto Ayora's pier
Coming hour: 16h00 approx.
North Seymour
Today we will join the tour group at the indicated meeting point and time. Then, we will depart by bus to the Itabaca Channel, where we will board the Galaxy Daily, thus beginning our adventure to North Seymour Island.This island is located north of Santa Cruz Island. It is known for its large colonies of blue-footed boobies and frigate birds, known as the Galapagos pirates.
After arriving in North Seymour, we will have a dry landing and immediately start hiking on a 2.5 km (1.55 miles) trail. We can go clockwise along the coast or head inland first to visit the colony of boobies.During this tour, we will access the nesting sites of the largest breeding colonies on the islands. We will then understand why Seymour is known for its rich wildlife.
Get ready to spot land iguanas and marine iguanas; also, a colony of sea lions, lava lizards, and pelicans!While we advance along the path, we will observe several trees where the male and female frigates nest. As we continue through the trail, the terrain will become rocky. Then, we will have the opportunity to appreciate the nesting place of the spectacular blue-footed boobies. This species is fascinating for its courtship dance in which they can dance for hours until finally captivating the female attention to nest together.
Did you know that these boobies never build a nest? That is because a ring of white guano marks their nesting area.If you like plants, we will see some endemic flora species in North Seymour during the walk, such as Opuntia, Croton, Castela, and Sesuvium cacti.
Bachas Beach
After our visit to North Seymour and a delicious lunch aboard, we will go to the beach known as Bachas, located north of Santa Cruz Island. Here we can snorkel or take a relaxing walk on the beach.For this, we will make a wet landing, in which we will jump from the panga to the shore of the beach.
Again, we recommend disembarking barefoot and wearing light walking shoes for the rest of the
journey.
Bachas beach is lovely, ideal for swimming, with a lagoon behind and a longer coast for walking and wildlife watching. The saltwater lagoon behind the beach often has great blue herons and small birds.
Both the large and small beaches are nesting areas for green sea turtles.
As for snorkeling, during the activity, we may see many types of colorful reef fish, and various rays, among other marine species.
At the end of our experience in Bachas, we will return to the Itabaca Channel. Then, we will be transferred to Puerto Ayora's pier to end our adventure for the day.
