Española is one of the oldest islands of the Galápagos Archipelago; it is a former shield volcano that after thousands of years of erosion has become flattened, mostly covered by dry zone vegetation. This is, however, the middle of the wet season, and the entire island looks emerald green. To the North we find Gardner Bay: with its turquoise waters and white sands, it is certainly one of the most beautiful beaches of the islands. A large colony of Galápagos sea lions inhabits this beach, with a few of them seemingly curious about our presence, while others were totally oblivious to us. Towards the South, the coast of Española has high cliffs that are favored by various marine bird species as well as marine iguanas. In this dramatic shoreline food abounds and foraging is particularly good, therefore Punta Suárez is considered one of the highlights of the Enchanted Isles.