This island is the oldest in the archipelago and is named Española. It happens to be a superb visitor site. For most of the year the shore is crowded with sea lions, the cliffs are dotted with sea birds, and the forest is invaded by the sounds of land birds such as Darwin’s finches, mockingbirds, Galápagos doves, and more.
Española Island is also known as Hood Island, and this small low island is located on the southeastern corner of the Galápagos archipelago. Therefore sea birds of different kinds converge here for nesting and roosting. These facts make this island one of our favorite sites.
In the morning the early risers had the kayaks ready for close exploration of the shore and for some exercise. The shore of Española is dotted with seabirds and sea lions. The morning was as good as it could get, with a nice soft breeze, calm seas, and a gorgeous sunrise.
Later on after breakfast we explored the marine world and the white sandy beach. Here we had our first encounter with colorful tropical fish of different sizes and colors! At the beach we had a great time walking on the powder-like sand among sea lions.
In the afternoon we landed at a different spot to explore. We went for a long walk along the cliffs and the forest. This is the only island where the iconic waved albatross nests. We had a lot of them by the trail! It is estimated we have more than ten thousand pairs. Here we walked through a large colony of Nazca boobies that are spending a few more months until the last chicks take off. We also saw some blue footed boobies!
It was a day full of interesting activities and there is more to come!
