Española Island
Today we not only visited the southeasternmost island in the archipelago, but it happens to be the oldest of them all, as well. Our day began with several options; we snorkeled around Gardner Islet, kayaked along the adjacent cliffs of the bay and many of our guests visited one of the most beautiful beaches you can ever imagine.
As we strolled on the white sand beach, we were pleasantly surprised to see several pregnant female sea lions, some of them looking as if they were just about to deliver. There were a couple hundred sea lions here and we watched and photographed these charming marine mammals. We observed large males, nursing pups and individuals of all ages and sizes in between.
After all of the different morning options, we lifted anchor and headed westwards to visit Punta Suarez. This is definitely one of the most spectacular places in the archipelago! As we arrived to this marvelous site, we were greeted by the most colorful marine iguanas, curious mockingbirds, and lots more sea lions. During our walk we came across a Galápagos hawk, the top predator of the islands. We hiked further inland and discovered the nesting area of the Galápagos waved albatrosses. There were several of these large birds flying along the high cliffs of the island, and a good number were found resting and caring for their chicks. One thing that we were not expecting was to see them performing their interesting, beautiful and slightly comical courtship ritual.
As if that was not enough, on the trail that loops back to the landing dock, we found several Nazca boobies searching for mates. We watched and snapped yet more photos as they whistled, and stretched their wings and their beak to the sky. Other boobies had already paired up and were preparing their nest site. As our expedition came to an end and we motored to the ship, we had a stunning sunset.
Today we not only visited the southeasternmost island in the archipelago, but it happens to be the oldest of them all, as well. Our day began with several options; we snorkeled around Gardner Islet, kayaked along the adjacent cliffs of the bay and many of our guests visited one of the most beautiful beaches you can ever imagine.
As we strolled on the white sand beach, we were pleasantly surprised to see several pregnant female sea lions, some of them looking as if they were just about to deliver. There were a couple hundred sea lions here and we watched and photographed these charming marine mammals. We observed large males, nursing pups and individuals of all ages and sizes in between.
After all of the different morning options, we lifted anchor and headed westwards to visit Punta Suarez. This is definitely one of the most spectacular places in the archipelago! As we arrived to this marvelous site, we were greeted by the most colorful marine iguanas, curious mockingbirds, and lots more sea lions. During our walk we came across a Galápagos hawk, the top predator of the islands. We hiked further inland and discovered the nesting area of the Galápagos waved albatrosses. There were several of these large birds flying along the high cliffs of the island, and a good number were found resting and caring for their chicks. One thing that we were not expecting was to see them performing their interesting, beautiful and slightly comical courtship ritual.
As if that was not enough, on the trail that loops back to the landing dock, we found several Nazca boobies searching for mates. We watched and snapped yet more photos as they whistled, and stretched their wings and their beak to the sky. Other boobies had already paired up and were preparing their nest site. As our expedition came to an end and we motored to the ship, we had a stunning sunset.
