We had an outstanding beginning of our Galápagos expedition on the island of Española! This is the oldest island of the Galápagos and it’s situated at the farthest eastern site of the archipelago. It is the oldest island of all! Many of the species inhabiting this island are only found on this island and nowhere else in the planet.
We went on a very early kayaking outing at Gardner Bay. Our explorers enjoyed this activity in turquoise and clear waters before breakfast. We had a delightful time with lots of birds and sea turtles mating along the shallow waters.
While some went deep water snorkeling with many species of fish and sea lions, some of us chose to swim and walk on the beach. This bay is home to a large number of sea lions. The water at the beach was bright blue and the sand very fine, making it more than pleasant for us!
Punta Suarez is a highlight for endemic organisms in Galápagos. Different species of seabirds nest along our trail! To mention a couple: blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies. Reptiles are well represented as well: marine iguanas are the most colorful of the islands and lava lizards are the largest of the archipelago! They are known as Christmas iguanas since they start getting this colors around Christmastime!
But the amazing creatures were the fantastic and elegant Waved albatrosses. These birds come to nest on Española during our cold season. Right now the season is changing, so they are getting ready to go. Their chicks are growing fast and will soon be able to abandon the island during the hot season. We enjoyed their calls and their funny movements while walking to the cliff, and then we were marveled by their majestic flight!
What an amazing day on Española. After visiting one the jewels in the crown, we returned to our mother ship to continue our exploration of the enchanted archipelago.
