Española Island is one of the Crown jewels of the Galapagos Archipelago. Our journey started at one of the iconic places of the Galapagos, Gardner Bay. The best way to begin our exploration was to go deep water snorkeling in order to witness the wonders of the Galapagos marine reserve. Once in the water a marvelous underwater world was revealed, full of a variety of beautiful fish. There were Damselfish on lava rocks, razor surgeonfish swimming, and playful baby Galapagos sea lions accompanied us during the excursion.
As soon as we came back the National Geographic Islander it was time to explore the sandy area found at Gardner Bay. As we arrived very curious hood mockingbirds received us like a welcoming committee. Sleeping Galapagos sea lions were the perfect contrast against the organic white sand all around us. At the end of the morning activities the presence of a Galapagos hawk perched on saltbush branches was a great treat.
The afternoon activities had several surprises in store for us and the best way to begin the adventure was to explore Punta Suarez. Home for sea birds and a refuge for albatross, Punta Suarez is one the most iconic seabird paradises. Colorful marine iguanas along with curious baby sea lions were some of the highlights of the location upon our arrival. Farther along the trail intrepid Galapagos doves were found as they were looking for food in between the lava rocks.
Once we reached the farthest point of the trail we had the biggest surprise of all, the waved albatross. At this time of the year we have already had the first arrivals of the breeding season, so it was very special to find them all over the internal trail. It was awe-inspiring to observe their courtship displays. The Nazca booby breeding colony is located in one of the most impressive coastal areas of Española. At the end of our journey a magical sunset indicated the end of another wonderful day in this paradise of the Galapagos Islands.
