Espanola Island
Today we not only visited the south eastern most island in the archipelago, but it happens to be the oldest of them all, as well. Our day began with several options; one was to snorkel around “Tortuga” Islet in deep waters, and the other was to snorkel from the beach on Gardner bay. Kayaking around the adjacent bays was also an option that several guests decided to take.
Right on the beach we found large harems of the Galápagos sea lions, and because of that, large males were patrolling their territories in different areas along the beach. Luckily they were far from the snorkeling area, so it simply turned out to be a great photographic experience. As we were strolling on the beach, we were gladly surprised to see several pregnant female sea lions, some of them looking as if they were just about to deliver.
After enjoying all of these different options, we lifted anchor and headed westwards to visit Punta Suarez. This is definitely one of the most spectacular places in the archipelago! As we arrived to this marvelous site, we were greeted by the most colorful marine iguanas, curious mockingbirds, and lots of sea lions.
During our walk, we came across with a Galápagos hawk which happens to be the top predator of the islands. It was simply sitting on top of a rock scanning his territory, trying to find something to eat, perhaps.
There was so much animal activity just few feet away from the landing site that it was hard to believe. As we got deeper into the island, the Galápagos waved albatrosses came to sight. There were several of them flying along the cliffs section of the island, while a large number was found sitting on their nests. One thing that we were not expecting was to see them performing their very interesting and beautiful courtship ritual.
As if that was not enough, we had several Nazca boobies also looking for a mate, while others were way ahead of that task and were already preparing their nests. To top it all, we had a stunning sunset with the most beautiful colors adorning the sky.
We returned aboard after a magnificent time together in the island, feeling perhaps a little sad that this was our last day in paradise. The good news is that we made new friends in Ecuador and the Galápagos, a land full of interesting places to see.
Today we not only visited the south eastern most island in the archipelago, but it happens to be the oldest of them all, as well. Our day began with several options; one was to snorkel around “Tortuga” Islet in deep waters, and the other was to snorkel from the beach on Gardner bay. Kayaking around the adjacent bays was also an option that several guests decided to take.
Right on the beach we found large harems of the Galápagos sea lions, and because of that, large males were patrolling their territories in different areas along the beach. Luckily they were far from the snorkeling area, so it simply turned out to be a great photographic experience. As we were strolling on the beach, we were gladly surprised to see several pregnant female sea lions, some of them looking as if they were just about to deliver.
After enjoying all of these different options, we lifted anchor and headed westwards to visit Punta Suarez. This is definitely one of the most spectacular places in the archipelago! As we arrived to this marvelous site, we were greeted by the most colorful marine iguanas, curious mockingbirds, and lots of sea lions.
During our walk, we came across with a Galápagos hawk which happens to be the top predator of the islands. It was simply sitting on top of a rock scanning his territory, trying to find something to eat, perhaps.
There was so much animal activity just few feet away from the landing site that it was hard to believe. As we got deeper into the island, the Galápagos waved albatrosses came to sight. There were several of them flying along the cliffs section of the island, while a large number was found sitting on their nests. One thing that we were not expecting was to see them performing their very interesting and beautiful courtship ritual.
As if that was not enough, we had several Nazca boobies also looking for a mate, while others were way ahead of that task and were already preparing their nests. To top it all, we had a stunning sunset with the most beautiful colors adorning the sky.
We returned aboard after a magnificent time together in the island, feeling perhaps a little sad that this was our last day in paradise. The good news is that we made new friends in Ecuador and the Galápagos, a land full of interesting places to see.
