Española Island
After a smooth navigation last night, we arrived in Gardner Bay on Española Island early this morning. This is one of the most spectacular places in Galápagos; Española is also the oldest island in the archipelago and the home of some endemic species of birds, plants and reptiles, found only here and nowhere else in the world.
Our morning began with a pre-breakfast kayak outing. Early in the morning the light is just fantastic for photography and observation of birdlife. After exploring the dramatic coastline of Gardner Bay for almost an hour, we returned to National Geographic Islander and replenished our energies with a delicious meal. After breakfast our guests who wanted to explore the undersea world around Gardner Islet boarded the pangas for a final snorkeling outing. Those who chose a delightful walk went to a gorgeous white sand beach, where we observed sea lions, sea birds and land birds. We also went for a second round of kayaking and just as the first one, the scenery and wildlife found along the coast filled our senses and warmed our hearts solely with existence.
This afternoon we explored the western realm of Española. The visitor site is called Punta Suarez and represents what Galápagos is for all of us. We not only found plants and animals, we found here an amazing paradise where everyone can co-exist, accept each other and respect the individuality of each single being. We walked among boobies, albatross, multicolored marine iguanas, and also found several lava lizards which watched us walking by and curiously observed our movements. At the end of our exploration we had a wonderful sunset. What a way to say good bye to Galápagos!
After a smooth navigation last night, we arrived in Gardner Bay on Española Island early this morning. This is one of the most spectacular places in Galápagos; Española is also the oldest island in the archipelago and the home of some endemic species of birds, plants and reptiles, found only here and nowhere else in the world.
Our morning began with a pre-breakfast kayak outing. Early in the morning the light is just fantastic for photography and observation of birdlife. After exploring the dramatic coastline of Gardner Bay for almost an hour, we returned to National Geographic Islander and replenished our energies with a delicious meal. After breakfast our guests who wanted to explore the undersea world around Gardner Islet boarded the pangas for a final snorkeling outing. Those who chose a delightful walk went to a gorgeous white sand beach, where we observed sea lions, sea birds and land birds. We also went for a second round of kayaking and just as the first one, the scenery and wildlife found along the coast filled our senses and warmed our hearts solely with existence.
This afternoon we explored the western realm of Española. The visitor site is called Punta Suarez and represents what Galápagos is for all of us. We not only found plants and animals, we found here an amazing paradise where everyone can co-exist, accept each other and respect the individuality of each single being. We walked among boobies, albatross, multicolored marine iguanas, and also found several lava lizards which watched us walking by and curiously observed our movements. At the end of our exploration we had a wonderful sunset. What a way to say good bye to Galápagos!
