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Self-guided trail, has stations with explanatory signs. You will learn some secrets of the forest touring a beautiful landscape where exotic and native plants are mixed.
Viewpoints with different views of the Island.
Seagulls dive into the waves caused by the boat in search of food.
Some humans carry biscuits to feed wild animals in their hand. Please do not feed wild animals or photograph these acts!
The tiny village of Pampa Linda is the base for exploring the Cerro Tronador region and one of the most special sectors of the Nahuel Huapi National Park, located on the outskirts of Bariloche. Cerro Tronador is the highest mountain in the entire Park and is always snowy all year round. It is exactly on the border between Chile and Argentina and has two main peaks that are one of the best technical climbs in Patagonia, in addition to having glaciers, huge waterfalls and many trekking trails.
The Nahuel Huapi National Park shelters countless natural nooks that show the beauty of the mountain range landscape. Los Alerces Cascade is one of these spots and everything from the tour to the very waterfall is enjoyed by us.
Before crossing the bridge over the Manso River heading for Mount Tronador (3,554 m / 11,660 ft), the tour takes the road on the left, which follows a picturesque circuit up to los Alerces Cascade.
With the eyes fixed on the mount and its snow-capped summit, the rubble road crosses thick cypress and coihue forests, typical of the area, and causes amazement with beautiful panoramic sights appearing behind every bend and slope.
From the top, the blueish green of Lake Las Moscas and its solitary beaches surrounded by green mountains may be observed.
The Llao Llao Hotel is located in the tourist resort of San Carlos de Bariloche within the Río Negro, Argentina. This famous hotel is situated in the foothills of the Andes on a hill between the Moreno Lake and Nahuel Huapi lakes.
The original hotel, designed by Alejandro Bustillo, was made almost entirely of wood and furnished by Jean-Michel Frank and Casa Comte, was destroyed by fire soon after its completion in 1939. A year later Bustillo built a new hotel out of reinforced concrete and stone, with the assistance of the German landscaping architect Hermann Botrich. It closed in 1976 due to lack of funds for maintenance. While it was closed, the hotel was exposed to robbery, vandalism and overall neglect.
It was renovated and reopened in 1993 after ownership was transferred to CEI Citicorp Holdings in compensation for Argentina government bonds. The Argentinian property company IRSA acquired the hotel in 1997 for $13.3 million and later sold 50% of its stake to the Sutton Group. In 1999 the hotel became a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, and has won many important prizes since its re-opening, including "The Best Hotel and Resort in the Argentine Hinterland" in 1999.
The hotel is the site of the annual classical music festival, Semana Musical Llao Llao.
Cerro Campanario Bariloche is a mountain in Argentina. It is located in the province of Provincia de Río Negro, in the southwest of the country, 1,400 km southwest of Buenos Aires, the country's capital. Cerro Campanario Bariloche is 1,039 meters above sea level, or 248 meters above the surrounding terrain. Its foothills are about 8.5 kilometers wide. Cerro Campanario Bariloche located on the lake of Lago Nahuel Huapi.
The land around Cerro Campanario Bariloche is varied. The highest point in the area is Cerro V. López, 2,068 meters above sea level, 8.6 km west of Cerro Campanario Bariloche. The nearest larger town is San Carlos de Bariloche, 16.2 km southeast of Cerro Campanario Bariloche.
Cerro Campanario Bariloche is almost covered by mixed forest. There are about 24 people per square kilometer around Cerro Campanario. Bariloche is relatively sparsely populated. The climate is Mediterranean.
I sailed again to Puerto Anchorena, on Isla Victoria, where I found lush vegetation that offers an incredible view. Following the trails of this beautiful and thousand-year-old island, I reached Playa del Toro, where I saw the paintings made by the native peoples that used to live in the area, surrounded by a magnificent volcanic-sand beach, an unforgettable and magical experience.
Myrtle Forest
Let yourself be carried away by the old prow of the Modesta Victoria, let's weigh anchor and, from Puerto Pañuelo, set course towards the Quetrihué peninsula, the seat of the Arrayanes Forest.
The Arrayán (Quetrihué in the Mapuche language) is a shrub with an exquisite saffron color and white flowers. In this place, unique in the world, it takes on the size of a "tree❞ to form a magical and unusual forest.
PS. The anchored boat is not the boat I sailed, the Modesta Victoria.
From the parking the tour continues on foot and after a short walk I reached the Mirador de la Cascada los Alerces. It is a beautiful 20 meter high fall made by the Manso River on its way shortly after leaving Lake Hess. This river of cold and crystalline waters has the particularity of flowing into the Pacific Ocean, in Chile.
The waterfall is appreciated from a wide viewpoint, surrounded by a dense forest of tall coihues and humid walls full of ferns and mosses. In this sector, the forest has the particularity of having some larch specimens, hence the name of the waterfall.
At the Ventisquero snack bar, where the trail to the Garganta del Diablo viewpoint begins. The Garganta del Diablo is made up of waterfalls from the melting of a glacier on Cerro Tronador.
Upon arriving at the lookout point, I had a conclusion: it's better to see the Garganta del Diablo from afar. Up close, I only saw one of the waterfalls and I didn't see the glacier.
The view from far away:
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These falls shouldn't even be happening at this force. It's the melting of the daily glaciers. It's summer in this hemisphere, yet some of the above are gone.
One of the melting glaciers down falls:
National Geographic has categorized Cerro Campanario as one of the 8 best views in the world! From the world I cannot confirm, but in the Andean Lakes Region it certainly is.
With an altitude of just over a thousand meters above sea level, this hill offers a panoramic view of the region's mountains and lakes.
Farewell, dear island!
Sail on a historic ship from 1938, the Modest Victoria. It's a beautiful trip, you can have sandwiches and snacks on board, in the woods or on the island.
Lake Nahuel Huapi is immersed within the Nahuel Huapi National Park, which is the oldest of the Argentine national parks.
It was created by the Argentine government in 1934, on the base of the donation of 3 square leagues (7,000 ha) carried out by Francisco Pascasio Moreno for this purpose.
The park covers 717,261 ha, in a strip of about 60 km wide for about 170 km from north to south, lying on the Andes mountain range. The Nahuel Huapi National Park is internationally famous for its attractive photography. It is located between the altitudes of 700 masl and 3400 masl, it stands out for its representative ecosystems of the Patagonian Andes, inhabiting more than a thousand higher botanical species, and some 300 species of vertebrate animals.
Getting to know Victoria Island and witnessing the spectacle of the Bosque de Arrayanes is a pleasure that has been experienced by millions of visitors to this National Park but still awaits, with its intact navigation conditions, the next tourists who, like us, arrive to visit them.
AURELIO PARGAL TRAIL
This trail bears the name of Don Aurelio Pargade, one of the first park rangers who, since 1942, has dedicated himself to protecting these landscapes that you are going to travel.
I discovered the native forest of the region in contrast to the exotic forest planted by man.
Ventisquero Negro ("black snowdrift" in Spanish) is a rather unusual glacier at the base of Tronador in Nahuel Huapi National Park. Its unusual dark brown colour comes from dirt and sediment picked up in the glacier's accumulation zone, which is fed by the Río Manso Glacier several hundred metres higher up the mountain. Brown icebergs calve from the glacier and then float in a small lake until eventually melting.
The Black Glacier
An unpaved road climbs up to the Ventisquero Negro (Black Glacier), a reconstituted glacier full of sediment that gives it its namesake black pigmentation.
A new lake that is less than 100 years old at the bottom of the glacier has the same green hue as the Manso River and other bodies of water in the region.
Mount Tronador is pure ice at its peak, surrounded by hundred-meter cliffs that generate the rumbling avalanches and landslides.
The debris from the avalanches feed the lower lip of the glacier, giving it its dirty appearance.
in English: Three Monks Hill.
Cerro Tres Monjes is located on the Brazo Huemul of Lago Nahuel Huapi, between Bariloche and Villa La Angostura. The trail starts near RN40, about 20 kilometers from Dina Huapi, and climbs gradually until reaching the summit. From up above, there are panoramic views of Lago Nahuel Huapi and the surrounding mountains here in the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
Lácar Lake is a lake of glacial origin in Neuquén Province, Argentina. It is enclosed in the Andes mountain range, at 630 m (2,070 feet) above mean sea level. The area around the lake is mostly uninhabited, except for the city of San Martín de los Andes on its northeastern coast. The lake has a surface area of 55 km2 (21 sq mi) and a mean depth of 167 m (548 feet), with a maximum of 277 m (909 feet). Its catchment basin comprises 1,048 km2 (405 sq mi). Like many Andean Argentine lakes, it drains across Chile and into the Pacific Ocean, in this case via the Huahum River that flows through Huahum Pass in the Andes. As the northernmost lake on the eastern side of Andes that drains to the Pacific the lake and its catchment basin were claimed by Chile until 1902 based on an interpretation of the Boundary treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina. The lake, along with the smaller lake nearby, Lolog, has some sacred significance for the Mapuche people, as it features in their oral tradition as part of a creation myth.
PS. Smoke from forest fires in Chile, which is on the border, reached San Martín de los Andes that day, unfortunately. The planet suffers!
The trail going up to this viewpoint is easier than the one in Bandurrias, although it's not as beautiful because it's on a gravel road, where cars drive alongside raising dust.
This landmark is not in any private area and there is no cost to go up.
From the Mirador Arrayan I could see the whole city, the opposite hill where the Bandurrias viewpoint is located and the lake. Enjoying the view from this viewpoint is one of the best tips for San Martin de Los Andes!
PS. Smoke from forest fires in Chile, which is on the border, reached San Martín de los Andes that day, unfortunately. The planet suffers!
Although it is very pretty, it is a lie that Walt Disney was inspired by this house for Bambi. In the same tours they explain it to you, however, they continue to sell it as "the little house of bambi" or "the little house of disney". It's like false advertising. I repeat, it is very cute and nice, but disappointing when you think that you are going to see something related to the movie, which you do not see.
This is the spot with the best views of the Mount Tronador and its three peaks — the western peak is in Chile, the eastern one in Argentina, and the middle one marks the border point between the two countries.
Mount Tronador has fourteen glaciers — products of the last glacial period that occurred more than 10,000 years ago.
Mount Tronador is one of the most important glacier-accumulation areas of Patagonia, having seven principal glaciers, three on the Chilean side and four on the Argentinean side. Bring a good pair of binoculars, to see the Manso Glacier and the Castaño Overo Glaciers in detail.
A government sign at La Pampa Linda service area that details the trails around the Mount Tronador area of Patagonia
Pampa Linda is the starting point for various treks from easy to difficult, ranging from one hour to two days.
The ‘Saltillo de las Nalcas’ trek to a waterfall is an easy family option that takes about 1.5 hours to complete.
There are also guided tours to climb the glaciers offered for those in decent shape who have the proper equipment.
All aboard
Discovered all of Bariloche's colors in the waters and woods of this tour within the Nahuel Huapi National Park.
Leaving Puerto Pañuelo, located in the stunning Llao LLao peninsula and after sailing for about an hour, I reached the Quetrihue peninsula, located northeast from Nahuel Huapi lake, where the legendary myrtle woods are.
The Myrtle (called “quetrihue” in the mapuche language) is a bush with an exquisite saffron color and white flowers. In this place, the only one in the world, the bush takes a tree form and creates a magical and rare forest.
After walking around this unmatched scenery, sailed to an island.
Stunning Glaciers
Located in the southern Andes and on the border between Argentina and Chile. The mountain is in between two national parks - Nahuel Huapi Park in the Argentine provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén and Vicente Pérez Rosales Park in the province of Llanquihue, Chile.
The mountain’s name comes from the Spanish word for thunder, a reference to the sound that the breaking ice glaciers make. It is 3,554 metres (11,660 feet) above sea level, towering over the surrounding Nahuel Huapi Park mountains. Mount Tronador has seven glaciers which are melting because of global warming.
Mount Tronador is Bariloche's highest mountain. Leaving from downtown, the famous National Route 40 took us south along the banks of lakes Gutiérrez and Mascardi until the intersection with Provincial Route 82.
Along the way there are stunning views of mounts Bonete and Cresta de Gallo, and we got visit one the shores of Mascardi lake. Turning right after leaving Villa Mascardi and followed a road surrounded by native forests. This area of breathtaking beauty is visited every year by mountaineers and fishing enthusiasts because it is home to the renowned Los Moscos lake and Manso river, which leads to Hess lake.
Once we reached Manso river (a river that flows from the top of Mount Tronador and changes colors along the way,) we stopped at Los Rápidos bridge to watch the trout in crystal-clear water. If you're lucky, you might also see a kingfisher, we did not.
The winding road goes up until the highest point. From there, we saw the higher valley of Manso river at its fullest, with its twisting course and green-colored water. We kept going, we reached Pampa Linda, a nice place with accommodation and food facilities. From there, we took the road to the base of the mountain where we found a cafeteria and enjoyed an incredible view of the other glaciers on Mount Tronador.
The ascent continues until the last viewpoint along the route, Ventisquero Negro, a glacier that comes down from Mount Tronador and stands out because of its dark color. On our way back we took a small detour that took us to the 30-meter (98 foot) Los Alerces waterfall.
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From the top of a bridge on Lake Hess on the way to Los Alerces Waterfall.
Leaving Bariloche, take Highway 40 north and the next towns will be Villa La Angostura and San Martín de los Andes.
Lake Nahuel Huapi, usually considered the eighth lake.
***
The Route of the 7 Lakes was one of the most beautiful routes I've traveled in this region. Despite having the number “seven” in the name, the route goes around up to 11 glacial lakes, which enchant anyone with their incredible natural landscapes.
The route is part of the mythical Ruta Nacional 40 and, within it, there are 108km that can be covered in a tour in just one day, by private car or even by bicycle.
PS. It is not yet the Route of the Seven Lakes.
The route starts at Villa La Angostura and ends at San Martín de los Andes.
At the foot of Cerro Tronador, I followed this short trail of medium-low difficulty that goes along a forest path to a spectacular rocky amphitheater that allows spectacular views of the waterfalls caused by the melting of the glaciers.
PS Unfortunately, the sun was directly in front of me at that moment.
The Black Glacier
An unpaved road climbs up to the Ventisquero Negro (Black Glacier), a reconstituted glacier full of sediment that gives it its namesake black pigmentation.
A new lake that is less than 100 years old at the bottom of the glacier has the same green hue as the Manso River and other bodies of water in the region.
Mount Tronador is pure ice at its peak, surrounded by hundred-meter cliffs that generate the rumbling avalanches and landslides.
The debris from the avalanches feed the lower lip of the glacier, giving it its dirty appearance.
Enjoy the beauty of Patagonia Argentina: San Martin de Los Andes is a village surrounded by lakes, volcanoes and mountains with snowy peaks. Take the opportunity to walk around its center and feel the Andean tour.
Isla Corazón is part of Lake Mascardi, where I saw Cerro Tronador, which is the highest peak in the Park: 3,491 meters above sea level and has seven glaciers. However, I was there to find out how and why an island in the middle of that arm is called Heart.
This small piece of land in the middle of crystal clear and turquoise water is wrapped in a legend that involves two feuding indigenous communities and two young men, sons of caciques, in love: one of each. They fall in love and decide to escape, understanding that this decision would not be well received: a kind of Romeo and Juliet of our lands, one could say, with a different but equally tragic ending.
Once they flee, their communities begin their search and subsequent capture: they wanted to be free and enjoy their mutual love; when they realized there was no escape, they began to swim across Lake Mascardi, trying to reach the other shore. The arrows began to sink into the water but nevertheless they reached them and the young men, embraced, died in the lake. In this way, the legend tells, the heart-shaped island, Piuké Huapi, arose.
But, despite this version, there are those who disagree with it, with more or less arguments. There are those who cannot find a “coherent” answer to the name because the shape cannot be seen: it should be noted that the island can be seen from different points, one of them is from the route that leads to Cerro Tronador; another, which already implies more physical effort, is from the Isla Corazón viewpoint, which can be reached after a walk of -minimum- three hours one way and another three hours back.
Another renames the island Chalía, in homage to a girl named Rosalía who was born there many years ago. Clarisa Montenegro, huerquen of the Lof Wiritray, clarifies it. National Parks gives it that name, although she clarifies that it "also has to do with love" because it is through a beautiful memory and declaration of love, such as births.
“We are very respectful of the history that our ancestors who lived in this place told us,” adds Clarisa. Julio Gallardo, Clarisa and Ester Treuque, Lucia and Ester Rauque, Victoriano, Juan Inalef and Cipriano Inalef were the relatives of that woman who was born on the island.”
The love, the disagreements, the name: everything reveals to tourists and neighbors the magic and the profound history of the place for the enjoyment of the family, with friends or as a couple, and in any season of the year: a lake that at times it is turquoise, for others with green tones and others bluish. A mental photograph in each step that is taken. Isla Corazón is there, waiting for us to honor those who were born there or to understand that love does not understand enmities between families or tribes, it is simply love.
Isla Corazón is part of Lake Mascardi, where I saw Cerro Tronador, which is the highest peak in the Park: 3,491 meters above sea level and has seven glaciers. However, I was there to find out how and why an island in the middle of that arm is called Heart.
This small piece of land in the middle of crystal clear and turquoise water is wrapped in a legend that involves two feuding indigenous communities and two young men, sons of caciques, in love: one of each. They fall in love and decide to escape, understanding that this decision would not be well received: a kind of Romeo and Juliet of our lands, one could say, with a different but equally tragic ending.
Once they flee, their communities begin their search and subsequent capture: they wanted to be free and enjoy their mutual love; when they realized there was no escape, they began to swim across Lake Mascardi, trying to reach the other shore. The arrows began to sink into the water but nevertheless they reached them and the young men, embraced, died in the lake. In this way, the legend tells, the heart-shaped island, Piuké Huapi, arose.
But, despite this version, there are those who disagree with it, with more or less arguments. There are those who cannot find a “coherent” answer to the name because the shape cannot be seen: it should be noted that the island can be seen from different points, one of them is from the route that leads to Cerro Tronador; another, which already implies more physical effort, is from the Isla Corazón viewpoint, which can be reached after a walk of -minimum- three hours one way and another three hours back.
Another renames the island Chalía, in homage to a girl named Rosalía who was born there many years ago. Clarisa Montenegro, huerquen of the Lof Wiritray, clarifies it. National Parks gives it that name, although she clarifies that it "also has to do with love" because it is through a beautiful memory and declaration of love, such as births.
“We are very respectful of the history that our ancestors who lived in this place told us,” adds Clarisa. Julio Gallardo, Clarisa and Ester Treuque, Lucia and Ester Rauque, Victoriano, Juan Inalef and Cipriano Inalef were the relatives of that woman who was born on the island.”
The love, the disagreements, the name: everything reveals to tourists and neighbors the magic and the profound history of the place for the enjoyment of the family, with friends or as a couple, and in any season of the year: a lake that at times it is turquoise, for others with green tones and others bluish. A mental photograph in each step that is taken. Isla Corazón is there, waiting for us to honor those who were born there or to understand that love does not understand enmities between families or tribes, it is simply love.
North Seymour is a small island near Baltra Island in the Galápagos Islands. It was formed by uplift of a submarine lava formation. The whole island is covered with low, bushy vegetation.
The island is named after an English nobleman, Lord Hugh Seymour. North Seymour Island has an area of 1.9 square kilometres (0.73 sq mi) and a maximum altitude of 28 metres (92 ft). This island is home to a large population of blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls. It hosts one of the largest populations of magnificent frigatebirds (Fregata magnificens) and a slow growing population of the Galápagos land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus).
North Seymour has a visitor trail approximately 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in length crossing the inland of the island and exploring the rocky coast.
There is no pier.
They look for the best place to disembark and board small boats. The smaller boats take us to the yacht.
We will sail to Mosquera Island between the islands, North Seymour and South Seymour (Baltra Island).
Charles Darwin described the Galapagos land iguana as "ugly animals, of a yellowish orange beneath, and of a brownish-red colour above: from their low facial angle they have a singularly stupid appearance." The Galapagos land iguana grows to a length of 0.9 to 1.5 m (3–5 ft) with a body weight of up to 11 kg (25 lb), depending upon which island they are from. Being cold-blooded, they absorb heat from the sun by basking on volcanic rock, and at night sleep in burrows to conserve their body heat. These iguanas also enjoy a symbiotic relationship with birds; the birds remove parasites and ticks, providing relief to the iguanas and food for the birds.
The most commonly sighted cetacean in Galápagos waters is the bottlenose dolphin, which has a playful and inquisitive nature.
They typically feed cooperatively in pods of 20 to 30 individuals and have a varied diet, diving up to 500 meters offshore.
Where to see: Everywhere.
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They often travel in large pods and can sometimes be spotted playfully riding the bow waves of ships and yachts. The have short beaks and curved dorsal fins, and their backs and sides are dark gray or black, with paler skin underneath.
After a one hour sail, departing from Puerto Pañuelo on the imposing Llao Llao peninsula, I arrived at the Quetrihue peninsula, location of the Bosque de Arrayanes, north-east of Lago Nahuel Huapi.
The myrtle (called “quetrihue” in the mapuche language) is a bush with an exquisite saffron color and white flowers. In this place, the only one in the world, the bush takes a tree-like appearance and creates a magical and rare forest.
Our tour started with our transportation from our hotels on the island of Santa Cruz in time to depart at 7:30 am.
After a brief transfer to the port on the Itabaca Canal, board a yacht for the 1-hour cruise to North Seymour Island.
The Galapagos sea lion is a species that primarily breeds in the Galapagos Islands, although some breeding colonies also occur on Isla de la Plata just off of mainland Ecuador. They are one of two types of seal found in Galapagos and are part of the eared seal family – having external ear pinnae. They are not ‘true’ seals, as they are able to rotate their hind flipper under their pelvic girdle and lack the characteristic long, finger-like claws of true seals. The configuration of their pelvic girdle allows them to ‘gallop’ across land, reaching speeds exceeding that of a running person on rocky terrain.
There is no pier.
They look for the best place to disembark and board small boats. The smaller boats take us to the yacht, Galápagos Shark II.
We will sail to Mosquera Island between the islands, North Seymour and South Seymour (Baltra Island).
Male (left) has a smaller pupil and slightly lighter feet and is smaller in size than the female
The blue color of the blue-footed booby's webbed feet comes from carotenoid pigments obtained from its diet of fresh fish. Carotenoids act as antioxidants and stimulants for the blue-footed booby's immune function, suggesting that carotenoid-pigmentation is an indicator of an individual's immunological state. Blue feet also indicate the current health condition of a booby. Boobies that were experimentally food-deprived for forty-eight hours experienced a decrease in foot brightness due to a reduction in the amount of lipids and lipoproteins that are used to absorb and transport carotenoids. Thus, the feet are rapid and honest indicators of a booby's current level of nourishment.
As blue feet are signals that reliably indicate the immunological and health condition of a booby, coloration is favored through sexual selection.
Mosquera is a tiny island (about 120 meters / 393 feet by 600 meters / 1,968 ft) between Baltra and Seymour.
There's no trail, but visitors land on the beach to see (or swim with) the sea lions.
Keep your distance – males are territorial and may charge or swim into you if you get too close to females or young.
Males also assess their partner's reproductive value and adjust their own investment in the brood according to their partner's condition. Females that lay larger and brighter eggs are in better condition and have greater reproductive value. Therefore, males tend to display higher attentiveness and parental care to larger eggs, since those eggs were produced by a female with apparent good genetic quality. Smaller, duller eggs garnered less paternal care. Female foot color is also observed as an indication of perceived female condition. In one experiment, the color of eggs was muted by researchers, it was found that males were willing to exercise similar care for both large eggs and small eggs if his mate had brightly colored feet, whereas males paired with dull-footed females only incubated larger eggs. Researchers also found that males did not increase their care when females exhibited both bright feet and high-quality offspring.
Our tour started with our transportation from our hotels on the island of Santa Cruz in time to depart at 7:30 am.
After a brief transfer to the port on the Itabaca Canal, board a yacht for the 1-hour cruise to North Seymour Island.
Mosquera is a tiny island (about 120 meters / 393 feet by 600 meters / 1,968 ft) between Baltra and Seymour.
There's no trail, but visitors land on the beach to see (or swim with) the sea lions.
Keep your distance – males are territorial and may charge or swim into you if you get too close to females or young.
"I have an Egyptian respect for animals. I think they have a soul. Although rudimentary, and that they consciously suffer the upheavals of human injustice ..."
José do Patrocínio
1854-1905
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Male (left) has a smaller pupil and slightly lighter feet and is smaller in size than the female.
The blue-footed booby is on average 81 cm (32 in) long and weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), with the female being slightly larger than the male. Its wings are long and pointed and brown in color. The neck and head of the blue-footed booby are light brown with white streaks while the belly and underside exhibit pure white plumage. Its eyes are placed on either side of its bill and oriented towards the front, enabling excellent binocular vision. Its eyes are a distinctive yellow, with the male having more yellow in its irises than the female. Blue-footed booby chicks have black beaks and feet and are clad in a layer of soft white down. The subspecies S. n. excisa that breeds on the Galápagos Islands is larger than the nominate subspecies and has lighter plumage especially around the neck and head.
The Peruvian booby is similar in appearance but has grey feet, whiter head and neck, and white spots on its wing coverts. The ranges of the two species overlap in the waters of northern Peru and southern Ecuador.
Since the blue-footed booby preys on fish by diving headlong into the water, its nostrils are permanently closed, and it has to breathe through the corners of its mouth. Its most notable characteristic is its blue-colored feet, which can range in color from a pale turquoise to a deep aquamarine. Males and younger birds have lighter feet than females. Its blue feet play a key role in courtship rituals and breeding, with the male visually displaying its feet to attract mates during the breeding season.