Española Island
The adventure today at Española Island included a spectacular display of a natural symphony of seabirds, and the splendor of the place was experienced since the first moment we begun the exploration. Gardner Island was the best way to begin our exploration as we went deep water snorkeling. Once in the water, a completely charming world was revealed to us: reef fishes of many different colors swimming around, playful Galápagos sea lions moving towards us, and a beautiful sunlight perfect for enjoying all this. At the end of the activity, a big aggregation of black stripped salemas made us feel as if we were inside a natural fish tank.
Once back on board National Geographic Islander, Gardner bay beach was ready to receive us with its splendor. As soon as we arrived, the wonders of nature were evident in a big sea lion colony. Sea lions of many different sizes were all over the beach, as if they were congregating for an important meeting. As an additional companion, the Hood mockingbird was very curious of its reflection in our camera lenses. Once back on board, we enjoyed a delightful Ecuadorian buffet lunch as we sailed to our next destination.
In the afternoon our exploration got better as we visited a fantastic site were seabirds make delightful company: Punta Suarez. During the arrival to Punta Suarez our welcome companions were Sally Lightfoot crabs that covered the rocks turning them red. Farther along the trail, blue nazca boobies played a symphony of sounds as they were nesting on the rocks, and swallow tailed gulls made a perfect combination of natural colors by populating the entire cliff area; but the main attraction was definitely the waved albatrosses that showed their grace as they took flight off the cliff. On the hike back, a Galápagos snake surprised us while moving in between the rocks.
At the end of the adventure, we enjoyed a splendid landscape while watching one of the most beautiful sunsets that Mother Nature can offer. Española Island was definitely a marvelous experience that we had today at the Galápagos Islands.
