Española Island

Our first full day on the islands was amazing for discovery and exploration. We spent our day on the southeastern island of Española, formerly known as Hood. In the morning we visited Gardner Bay, where many options, or a combination of them, were offered to our guests. Exploration of the underwater by deep water snorkel, along the shore by kayak for discovery, or stroll along a white beach among dozens of resting sea lions.

Beach snorkelers could see mating turtles and sea lions so close that it was really quite an experience, especially for a beginner. This is one of the wonders of Galápagos.

In the afternoon we visited another part of the island, Punta Suarez, one of the richest wildlife locations in Galápagos. Right at the disembarkation point, we were greeted by many marine iguanas and by sea lions, some of them pups of only few days old. Further along the trail we saw the unique and endemic species of mockingbird, lava lizards and doves, as well as three different species of Darwin finches. The trail took us inland where there was a combination of native and endemic species of plants, all them grey and very dry, since we are at the end of the dry and cold season. While admiring these unique species, soon we arrived to the nesting site of the waved albatrosses, to find many young ones that were showing their juvenile plumage and their training to fly. Some adults were displaying their last courting rituals, which very often assure the next breeding season with the same partner. Every year the entire population of these birds arrives to Española Island by mid-March to start their breeding cycle, and leaves the island by the end of December or beginning of January, when they go in front of the coasts of Chile and Peru to their feeding grounds.

These magnificent birds display one of the most spectacular courtship rituals among sea birds, and today we were lucky enough to see few couple engaged of this ritual.

Waved albatrosses, Galápagos hawks, Nazca boobies and blue footed boobies were along the trail that took us to the famous blow-hole and then further in into the open plateau of the island where hundreds of these birds nest.

Without any doubt Espanola is one of the islands with the most diverse wildlife, therefore the one that any visitor of the Galápagos shouldn’t miss.