North Seymour Island may be small, but it packs a punch with plenty of fascinating wildlife highlights to see both on the land and in the water. Easily accessible from Santa Cruz Island and Baltra there is plenty to see here. Some really fabulous Galapagos highlights such as the blue footed booby courtship dance may be seen here at certain times of the year, and it has a great nature trail and snorkeling opportunities. Let us find out more!
North Seymour Island is located just north of Baltra Island, the entry point of many visitors to the Galapagos Islands. It is considered part of the central group of islands. The island was formed by lava beneath the sea pushing up, and its geography is flat. The highest altitude on the island is 92 feet, or 28 meters. North Seymour covers an area of 1.14 miles square (1.83 kilometers square). The vegetation is bushy and low-level including species such as Palo Santo trees and gray saltbush.
Due to its proximity to Santa Cruz Island, North Seymour Island can be visited by those on Galapagos land-based trips. From Puerto Ayora, visitors are usually taken by bus to the Itabacca Channel, from where boat transportation is used. The bus takes about 40-45 minutes and the boat trip to the island, between 45 minutes to one hour. Galapagos Islands cruises do stop at North Seymour Island with some frequency. However, if you absolutely want to be sure of a visit to North Seymour Island it is worth checking your cruise itinerary before booking because not every cruise stops there. The landing at North Seymour Island is dry.
North Seymour Island was so-named a British naval officer of the 18th century, called Lord Hugh Seymour. While a lot of islands that did have an English name in the past were renamed, North Seymour has retained its name up until now.
Of note, in the 1930s, efforts were made to preserve Galapagos land iguanas. Around 70 individuals were relocated from Baltra Island (formerly known as ‘South Seymour’ Island) to North Seymour to improve their chances of survival. This means the species found on North Seymour are not native to this island. There are estimated to be 2,500 individuals on North Seymour Island.
North Seymour Island is a special and unique place with some fabulous highlights to look out for, and particularly the fascinating birdlife:
Blue footed booby courtship dance – while the blue footed booby mating dance can be seen elsewhere too, their nesting site close to the path on North Seymour Island perhaps make it likelier to be observed here. At the start of the ‘dance’ the male will present the female with a gift. This will usually be either a rock or a stick, demonstrating the materials he might use in a nest, if she was to choose him. He will then engage in sky pointing, which is strutting around with his head pointing at the sky. At the same time, he will whistle. The male then displays his stunning blue feet by stepping up high to show them off. If the female thinks the male is a good mate she will flap her wings at him and then they will dance in unison.
The Magnificent Frigatebird – North Seymour Island is a great place to see the magnificent frigatebird and, more specifically, its striking display of its bright red throat pouch. The throat pouch, which looks like a big red balloon, is only inflated during the mating season, to woo a mate. Frigatebirds are also a highlight in the sense that they may target blue footed boobies to steal their prey. When the boobies are hunting, if they catch something, a frigatebird may very well swoop down leading to the booby dropping its food and the frigatebird stealing it out from under them!
Diving off North Seymour Island – North Seymour is a good spot for diving offering a diverse range of sea life to observe. Divers may spot a variety of species including green sea turtles, spotted eagle rays and sometimes even hammerhead sharks. Reef sharks can be quite common here too as well as an array of pretty and colorful tropical fishes.
Observing Mosquera Islet - nearby to North Seymour, Mosquera Islet presents opportunities to see a variety of birdlife as well as a very large number of sea lions. This islet has almost no vegetation but there are Sally Lightfoot crabs, lava gulls and other coastal birds to see.
Wildlife that may be seen on North Seymour Island includes:
Land iguanas – these yellow-colored iguanas have colonies here and it is possible to observe them in the scrub or beyond.
Sea lions – like many of the other Galapagos Islands, you’ll find sea lions sunbathing and snoozing on North Seymour Island, sometimes in the way of the landing!
Magnificent frigatebirds – there is a very large colony of this species on the island – look out for their bright red sac, inflated during courtship season.
Blue footed boobies – there are large groups of boobies on the island too, which nest close to the trail.
Other species that may be seen on North Seymour Island include marine iguanas, Darwin’s finches, mockingbirds, swallow-tailed gulls and Galapagos doves. In the water, lucky visitors might spot sea turtles.
Most Galapagos Islands offer the same activities and North Seymour Island is no exception. One of the main activities is walking on the nature trails on the island and observing and photographing the wildlife. There are two versions of the trail. One is shorter and the other is a bit longer, though neither is long.
Snorkeling is also a possibility at North Seymour Island, and it is a very fine spot for it too. Due to the geography of the location, the sea is cool, and this means more food, attracting a diverse range of species. There is a good chance of seeing rays, colorful reef fish, reef sharks and parrotfish. In some cases, it may be possible to see tiger sharks or hammerhead sharks.
There is the potential for diving at North Seymour Island, as mentioned above in the highlights. This can only be done on a live aboard boat, or through taking a day trip on a diving boat from Puerto Ayora. It is not possible to dive from regular Galapagos cruises.
There is no accommodation on North Seymour Island. The island is uninhabited, and no one is allowed to stay there overnight.
There is no infrastructure on North Seymour Island. This includes restaurants.
