Seymour Norte: Home of the Land Iguana

​We sailed from San Cristóbal to Seymour Norte on our first night on the ship. We had already arrived by the time we woke up at 5:00 AM. Shortly after, we took a dinghy to the island for our first excursion of the day.

Seymour Norte is a flat, rocky island with dry vegetation. It’s known for its wildlife, and during our three-hour walk, we saw plenty of it. Frigatebirds were everywhere. Some of the males had their red throat pouches puffed up.

We also spotted several land iguanas, their yellowish color blending with the dry ground. Land iguanas are large, slow-moving reptiles that can grow up to a meter long. Unlike marine iguanas, which swim and feed on algae, land iguanas rely on vegetation, mainly on prickly pear cactus pads. Their thick, scaly skin helps them survive the dry conditions, and they spend much of their time basking in the sun to regulate their body temperature.

We saw sea lions and plenty of pelicans along the shore, some gliding above the waves while others perched on rocks. Brightly colored Sally Lightfoot crabs clung to the shoreline, their red and orange shells standing against the dark volcanic rock. We also came across marine iguanas, the only lizards in the world that swim. Unlike land iguanas, they feed on algae and are often seen basking on the rocks after diving into the ocean.
Surprisingly, despite Seymour Norte being known for blue-footed boobies, we only saw one—and that was towards the end of our walk.

It was a great first stop of the day, packed with wildlife, and I’m sure there’s much more to come.