Española Island has one of the most impressive cliff formations in the archipelago, and they are the remains of an old extinct volcano. This Island is also considered by geologists to be oldest Island in this group of oceanic islands. That is the main reason why Española has white sandy beaches, which is the favorite breeding place for Galapagos sea lions. This island also has one of biggest concentrations of marine birds in Galapagos.
Gardener Island is a parasitic volcano just off the coast of Espanola Island and it is the perfect place to be introduced to the Galapagos marine life. There are lots of different fish easily seen by almost everyone in the water, but this morning juvenile Galapagos sea lions were no doubt the main attraction for our guests.
We also offered another activity before lunch, and this time we enjoyed walking along a white coralline beach covered with a few dozen Galapagos sea lions. Alpha males where very busy protecting their territories, mums fed their babies and juveniles were looking for people with whom to play.
In the afternoon we sailed a couple of hours towards Punta Suarez on the same Island and this time we explored a trail with boulders and native and endemic plants, which are very typical in this arid zone.
Our main interest was to arrive at the main nesting area of waved albatross and Nazca boobies. It was such a breathtaking experience for everyone.
During our afternoon hike we also had the opportunity to see large colonies of swallow-tailed gulls, marine iguanas, lava lizards, mocking birds, finches, hawks and some other interesting sightings all at the same time.
Galapagos is a place where every visitor has a unique experience to get close to unique Galapagos animals found only here and nowhere else in this world.
