Galapagos Cruise Day 1: La Pinta and Hiking on North Seymour Island

 

There were just so many great photo opportunities on this hike. Being able to walk around, and be so close to the animals is such a special experience. And it is perfect for photography, as you can change your angles and shoot from different perspectives. This sea lion gave me a big yawn, which added to the crashing wave behind him, into a pretty epic shot.

This male Magnificent Frigatebird was in full breeding mode with its bright red throat sack enlarged.

Our Galapagos trip started off with a bang. As our plane touched down on the Galapagos Island of Baltra, I saw a land iguana just next to the runway. As the plane's wing went over the iguana, it scurried away over the lava rocks. It was a premonition of things to come. I made my way through the customs to meet our guides from La Pinta near our baggage pickup. La Pinta is a 48 passenger, luxury expedition ship, that is going to be our base for adventures for the next seven days.

It feels so good to be back! After my last visit to the Galapagos, I wasn't sure if it would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip or not. I have got several missions this trip, and I come with a lot more knowledge about the area and the wildlife.

After a short bus ride, we disembarked at a small pier, put on life jackets, and boarded zodiacs. Just from the pier we could see frigate birds, blue footed boobies, Galapagos sea lions, sally lightfoot crabs, and a marine iguana. I was very eager to step foot onto La Pinta again after doing this trip a year and a half ago. My brother-in-law, David, and I checked into our room, 305, towards the front of the ship, and then everyone gathered in the lounge for the usual intro talks and drills before lunch and getting underway. I was pretty shocked that the guide team of Cati, David, Dreis, Indira, were all onboard. They were the exact same guide team that I had a year and a half ago. I was pleased to see familiar faces and they remembered me as well.

After lunch we had just a short time to get moved in and to explore the ship. La Pinta is well equipped with a library, gym, hot tub, and two dining areas. The service from the staff is top notch, down to the intricate towel animals found in your room when you come back from an excursion. The food and drinks are all included, and dynamite as well. Even though its quite luxurious onboard, its the off the boat adventures that I'm here for. And we didn't waste any time in moving the ship to an island just to the north, called North Seymour, for our first hike of the trip.

North Seymour Island is a very low lying, rocky island, with unusual Dr. Seuss looking trees with no leaves for most of the year and only reaching about ten or twelve feet high. In and amongst these palo santo trees where an amazing amount of Great and Magnificent frigatebirds. We saw some with their bright red air sacs totally inflated, making drumming noises to impress a mate. A few blue footed boobies were seen as well. It turns out that the better they feed, the bluer their feet get. So it makes sense that a female would be more attracted to a booby with the bluest feet because he would be a better provider of food for their offspring. We did see one baby blue footed booby being fed by its mother.

Heading out for our first hike on North Seymour Island, Galapagos. These zodiacs were a great way to get closer and more intimate with the islands. Our ship, La Pinta can be seen in the background.

Land iguanas were present on the island. They eat the local cactus, so usually we would find a cactus first, then look around and find a land iguana nearby. They have the look of a dinosaur, but its cousin, the marine iguana looks more like a dragon. Both are very photogenic and part of the Big 15 here in the Galapagos. Those are the 15 iconic animals that call the Galapagos home.

This blue-footed booby took off from its perch the very next moment. Luckily I snapped this just in time.

As we kept walking we came to the west side of the island, which was mostly boulders but with patches of white sandy beach. In the sand we came across all sizes of Galapagos sea lions. The sun was setting, and the waves were crashing behind them, leading to some beautiful scenes. One sea lion came right up and kissed David's camera. The sea lion show wasn't done yet though, with the biggest bull sea lion hauled out right near our zodiac loading area. We had to walk off-trail, up and around this guy, to make it to our pickup spot. I was the last in line and was taking some iPhone shots, when David started making sea lions grunting noises. The big bull perked right up, then started waddling right towards us. We didn't have much room to back up before being in the boulders, but luckily the bull never finished the charge. We ended up slipping by and onto the boat before anyone knew.

Drinks on the top deck were waiting for us when we got back, also setting the tone for the rest of the trip. It was a great start, and I went to bed excited about snorkeling tomorrow, and feeling so lucky to be back here for a second time in this very special place.

Often the wonderful crew of La Pinta would have snacks and cocktails waiting for us al Fresco when we returned from our adventures. It was a great way to meet all of our new adventure buddies and take in some magical sunsets.

Beautiful yellow warbler put on a show for us near the beach.

Mobular rays leaping out of the water. We saw these from the ship, so a bit far away, but stoked to get a photo.

Female frigate bird flying right overhead. There were so many close encounters with frigate birds on this hike.

One of the land dragons of the Galapagos. These land iguanas feed on cactus and spend most of their time basking in the sun.

I love the breaking wave behind this Galapagos sea lion. Towards the end of our hike we ended up on this beach with some close sea lion encounters. It was hard for me not to focus on the waves, wondering if I could surf them.

The sun started to set during our late afternoon hike on North Seymour Island. The silhouette of this sea lion was a nice foreground, and a precurser for some amazing photo opportunities to come on this trip.

We watched this baby blue footed booby clamber across the rocks towards its mom, who had just returned with food. I did not expect to get a photo like this though, of the moment the baby stuck its head down mom's throat.

The Great frigate bird has a green sheen, while the Magnificent frigate has a purple sheen. Usually they are flying high overhead and you can't see a slight color variation, but here in the Galapagos you can. This beautiful male Magnificent frigate bird was so close that you didn't even need binoculars to notice the beautiful purple sheen.

This is the cactus that the land iguanas were feeding on. If you find a cactus, you can usually look around and find an iguana nearby.

Part of our team, walking through the unique landscape of North Seymour Island with guide Indira.

Extreme close up with a Galapagos sea lion. Moments earlier it had come up and kissed David's camera.

Male frigate birds trying to show off for the female. They would occasionally vibrate their throats, making a very unusual sound, almost like a drum.

A male magnificent frigate bird in all of its breeding glory.

This was our first sighting of an endemic marine iguana. These are the only iguanas that rely on the ocean for their food. I have my fingers crossed that I'll be able to see some feeding underwater this trip.

Baby sea lion nursing from mom.

Land iguana profile shot.

The setting sun, bringing out the colors in the nearshore succulents.

Our first glimpse at the beautiful waters and coastline of the Galapagos Islands.

This swallow-tailed gull was the first animal to greet us as we landed on the rocky shoreline of North Seymour.

The library on La Pinta. This will be a swanky way to travel through the Galapagos Islands.

Having some close encounters with the local wildlife.

Hiking with Cati on North Seymour, while frigate birds and blue footed boobies fly just overhead.

This was the big bull, lying across the walking path near the end of our hike. Our group skirted up and around him. He looked content to just lay there until David started grunting like a sea lion. The big bull perked right up and started shuffling right towards us.

Wild coastline of North Seymour. It remind me a lot of being back in Hawaii. Both archipelagos share a similar geology, being formed by underwater volcanos over a hot spot.

David getting his close-up with a young Galapagos sea lion.

Having a local guide can make a huge difference on your experience when you travel to a new and exotic place. I was so pleased to see the same team I had last year onboard La Pinta. Expedition leader Cati, Indira, David, and Dries.