Española Island
This beautiful island is one of my favorites in the Galápagos. The variety and abundance of the animals that live on Española is amazing. We started our activities today with an interesting walk on Punta Suarez. There were many Galápagos sea lions greeting us by the landing site, they were quite a welcoming committee. Some young ones were playing or cooling off in the water, some others were sleeping. They were a real delight for all of us. Everywhere we looked we encountered something interesting or beautiful to watch, so it was sometimes difficult to keep moving. We kept walking on a rocky terrain until we found the endemic and colorful Española marine iguanas. This morning many of them were already in the water because the tide was low and they were ready to eat. A very large colony of sea birds make this island their home: Nazca boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls were seen everywhere. Many blue-footed booby couples were involved in their courtship. Males trying to impress the females were sky-pointing and dancing. Some Nazca boobies were taking care of chicks. It is extraordinary to have the rare opportunity to see animals so close and totally unafraid of humans.
In the afternoon we went to Gardner bay. The beautiful coralline beach found here is home to many sea lions. Many activities were offered to our guests. Some of them went to snorkel in a nearby rock called Gardner and had a great time. Some other guests went to the glass bottom boat and saw many fish as well. Kayaking was also an option that allowed our guests to share some more time with nature on their own. Swimming or walking along the beach were popular activities as well. We all came back onboard with new memories and feelings that will stay forever in our hearts and minds.
This beautiful island is one of my favorites in the Galápagos. The variety and abundance of the animals that live on Española is amazing. We started our activities today with an interesting walk on Punta Suarez. There were many Galápagos sea lions greeting us by the landing site, they were quite a welcoming committee. Some young ones were playing or cooling off in the water, some others were sleeping. They were a real delight for all of us. Everywhere we looked we encountered something interesting or beautiful to watch, so it was sometimes difficult to keep moving. We kept walking on a rocky terrain until we found the endemic and colorful Española marine iguanas. This morning many of them were already in the water because the tide was low and they were ready to eat. A very large colony of sea birds make this island their home: Nazca boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls were seen everywhere. Many blue-footed booby couples were involved in their courtship. Males trying to impress the females were sky-pointing and dancing. Some Nazca boobies were taking care of chicks. It is extraordinary to have the rare opportunity to see animals so close and totally unafraid of humans.
In the afternoon we went to Gardner bay. The beautiful coralline beach found here is home to many sea lions. Many activities were offered to our guests. Some of them went to snorkel in a nearby rock called Gardner and had a great time. Some other guests went to the glass bottom boat and saw many fish as well. Kayaking was also an option that allowed our guests to share some more time with nature on their own. Swimming or walking along the beach were popular activities as well. We all came back onboard with new memories and feelings that will stay forever in our hearts and minds.
