Today was the first day of this week’s expedition, and we got to explore the oldest island of the Galapagos Islands, Espanola, some 3.5 million years old. In the morning we landed at the beautiful white sanded beach of Gardner Bay. This beach is home to a large colony of sea lions and to the Espanola mockingbird, one of the Galapagos’ endemic and famous birds. The adventure in the morning also took place in the water, with a breathtaking snorkeling full of fish, sea turtles and playful sea lion pups.
For our afternoon adventure, we landed at Punta Suarez, the main nesting site for waved albatross, the endemic albatross of the Galapagos Islands. As we hiked along Espanola, we encountered albatross nests, chicks and court shipping displays, as well as other seabirds such as the Nazca booby, blue-footed boobies and swallow-tailed gulls. Reptiles were also part of this afternoon adventure, as the most colorful and biggest marine iguanas nest and live on this prehistoric island. Today was truly a magical day and this adventure has just began!
