Española Island

Española, or Hood Island, is the oldest islands in the Galápagos, and is situated at the southeast of the archipelago. These factors have made it one of the most spectacular places in the islands. The age of Española Island has allowed many species to adapt to specific conditions; therefore there is a lot of endemism. The Humboldt Current that comes from the south plays an important role as well, for the first island it reaches is Española. This strong current brings big amount of nutrients to Española, which is why there are so many different colonies of sea birds nesting on the island. This island is the only place in the world where the waved albatross nest.

We visited Punta Suarez in the morning; most of the boulders on the trail are covered with guano. We walked for a couple of hours, crossing colonies of blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, and finally our goal: the albatross colony. These majestic birds are in fact the smallest of all the albatross species in the world, but in the Gálapagos they are truly giants. With an eight-foot wingspan, these birds gracefully cross the sky just like airplanes. Later we observed the albatross from the cliffs, which is their favorite place to take off, to take advantage of the air currents.

While we were walking along the trail we couldn’t just pay attention to the albatross; we had to notice the marine iguanas as well, for they were everywhere on the trail! After observing these creatures we finally arrived at the famous Española blow hole, which was at its best today! In this location we also observed some red -billed tropic birds flying high above us.

In the afternoon, around Gardner Bay, we started with many water activities. Glass-bottom boat outings, snorkeling and kayaking were some choices our guests had. We also had time to stroll along a stunning white coral beach, which was literally covered with Gálapagos sea lions.

After our day on this island, we can conclude that this paradise is definitely one of the most spectacular places in the Gálapagos.