Española Island
The Galápagos Islands are a unique paradise, and each island has a story to tell. The adventure today took place at Española Island, and the splendor of the place surprised us from the very first moment we began the exploration. The best way to begin was to go deep water snorkeling at Gardner Island, and as soon as we went into the water, a completely charming world was revealed to us: reef fish of many different colors swimming around, playful Galápagos sea lions moving towards us, and a beautiful sunlight that made it perfect in order to enjoy all this. Right at the end of the activity, two big stingrays were spotted at the sea bottom as if they were expecting something to pass by.
As we came back on board the National Geographic Islander, it was time to get us to prepare for Gardner Bay beach. As soon as we arrived, nature showed all its wonders to us in a big sea lion colony. Sea lions of different sizes were all over the beach as if they were congregating for an important meeting. As an additional companion, Hood mockingbirds were very curious of our camera lenses. Once back on board, we enjoyed a delightful Ecuadorian buffet lunch as we sailed to our next destination: Punta Suarez.
Home of seabirds and the living paradise of waved albatrosses, Española Island is the oldest of all in the archipelago, and in the afternoon the exploration just got better. During the arrival to Punta Suarez our welcome companions were the Sally Lightfoot crabs that turned the rocks into a red color. Farther along the trail, blue-footed boobies were found on the rocks making a beautiful contrast with the landscape, Nazca boobies were the neighbors next door, and they were found all over the cliff area; but the main attraction was definitely the waved albatrosses that showed their entire splendor while courting. On the way back, a Galápagos hawk was the perfect combination in the background as it was standing on a rock.
At the end of our exploration, we enjoyed a fantastic landscape as the sun set on the horizon offering a charming view of Punta Suarez. The Galápagos Islands paradise is a wonderful experience that very few on this planet have sensed, and today we got a delightful experience of it.
