Our day began with grey skies overhead, and turquoise waters beneath us. Today we explored the southernmost island in the archipelago, and one of the oldest— Española. It appears desolate from a distance, but we discovered upon arrival that looks can be deceiving. Above and below the water, sea lions reign, jetting through the water with precision and grace. The coralline sand beach is alive with fliting mockingbirds and lava lizards. Everywhere we looked, there was something to be seen.
After a delicious lunch on board the National Geographic Endeavour II, we returned to the island for more activities. This time, we moved inland for our hike, with encounters with the endemic waved albatross, Nazca boobies, red-billed tropic birds screeching overhead, and Galapagos marine iguanas lazing in the late afternoon sun. The last light glows as it dips into the horizon.
