We woke up to the beautiful view of Gardner Bay off the coast of the oldest of the Galapagos Islands. After breakfast, we went to explore a long white sandy beach in search of wildlife. Along the beach, we encountered a small colony of sea lions, Espanola lava lizards, hood mockingbirds, and a few species of Darwin finches.
After the walk at the beach, we went deep water snorkeling around Gardner Islet.
We encountered a few playful Galapagos sea lions and several Pacific green sea turtles resting on the bottom of the ocean. Snorkeling was a blast! We saw large schools of fish, as well as plenty of marine invertebrates on the vertical wall.
After lunch, we navigated towards Punta Suarez, another land visitor site on Espanola.
Punta Suarez offers the opportunity to see the waved albatross, a species of bird endemic to Espanola. We encountered large colonies of marine iguanas along the trail, sea lion pups, and a large colony of Nazca boobies. This hike is breathtaking; we spotted many blue-footed boobies with chicks and others in their courtship display. During the hike, we even spotted a couple of Galapagos hawks soaring in the sky.
After the hike, we returned to National Geographic Islander II to continue exploring the enchanted archipelago.
