Today our expedition took us to the oldest island in the Galapagos—Española or Hood Island, which is situated in the eastern point of the archipelago. This place is full of surprises.
In the morning we visited Gardner Bay, a beautiful white coralline beach that is home of hundreds of sea lions. The turquoise waters and the bright sun were an invitation we couldn’t say no to, and so today we started with our water activities. Whether we chose to go snorkeling from the beach or from the Zodiacs, or to swim along the shores with curious sea lions watching, or to go kayaking, we all had a blast!
Sea lions definitely stole the show, and we had a great time snorkeling with several juvenile sea lions. When the moment to leave the waters came, one sea lion decided he wanted to play more, so in a very gentile way, he came up and pulled my fin so that I wouldn’t leave! This kind of interaction can only happen in the Galapagos Islands!
In the afternoon, we repositioned our ship at the western area of the island: Punta Suarez. We disembark for one of the richest walks of the week in terms of wildlife: Nesting colonies of blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies, colonies of sea lions, colorful marine iguanas, everybody was there! We even encountered some unique species of lava lizards and mocking birds that are only found here on Española Island.
As we walked around Espanola Island, we felt a sense of welcoming from these unique animals, as they invite us to explore and share their environment. They have opened for us this amazing world of the Galapagos Islands which will be our home for the next days. The adventure continues tomorrow!
