Gardener Beach is located on Española Island, which is considered to be the oldest geological formation by geologists. In 2012 it was chosen as one of the most beautiful beaches in the whole world by an American travel magazine. Its white sandy beaches are covered with more than three hundred Galapagos sea lions and the formation of its islets make it a top destination for adventurous travelers. The bay also offers one of the best snorkeling opportunities with friendly sharks, lots of fish of different regions and one of the best entertainers in this region – the Galapagos sea lions.
For today’s morning activities we had this place all to ourselves. This area also provides a good opportunity for kayaking. We spent the whole morning snorkeling, swimming, walking along the beach, kayaking and interacting with playful sea lions. The weather could not have been better, with blue skies and warm water temperature to make our experience even more amazing.
For the afternoon we sailed for about one hour to a different location on the same island, Punta Suarez. This hike is one of the longest in the whole week, more than two and the half miles long. This trail could have been covered in less than one hour, but with the amount of wildlife present at this location, we left this site right after sunset with good memories and happy faces.
The Galapagos National Park has been working very hard for the last 50 years, with different projects to protect the islands and restore the damage left behind by first Galapagos visitors almost five hundred years ago. Today we had the impression of being on a pristine and isolated archipelago, but we know that we still have a long way to go to reach our goal. We won’t stop until our mission gets done.
Galapagos is such a fragile, unique ecosystem, which needs our support. By coming to see our endemic, native animals you are supporting our conservation programs in Galapagos. It was our first full day in paradise and our guests are so impressed with this natural wonder on our blue planet.
