North Seymour Island

North Seymour is not a volcano but a slab of seabed lifted clear of the water by tectonic movement, which is why it is almost flat, low and covered in silvery palo santo and salt bush rather than lava cones. Its value is breeding density: magnificent frigatebirds nest along the trail with males inflating scarlet throat pouches to the size of a football, blue-footed boobies perform their foot-lifting courtship dance in the open beside the path, swallow-tailed gulls nest on the cliff edge and land iguanas move through the scrub. The loop trail is short and level, close to Baltra airport, which makes it the most common half-day landing in the islands.

What you actually see

• Frigatebird throat pouches - males displaying beside the trail.
• Blue-footed booby courtship - the foot-lifting dance in the open.
• An uplifted seabed island - flat rock rather than a volcanic cone.
• Land iguanas in the scrub - the reptiles introduced and re-established here.

When to go

Year round; frigatebird display peaks roughly December to June but nesting occurs across the year. A day trip, usually a half day ashore. Seas in the channel can be choppy.

Honest expectations

The trail is short and the visit is under two hours ashore. It is exposed with no shade and can be very hot. Landings are dry but over uneven rock. Boats crowd the site at peak times, so several groups walk the loop at once.

Nearby

Baltra airport is south; Santa Cruz lies beyond it.