Española Island
The Galápagos Islands exploration brought us to one of the most magnificent places in the archipelago: Española Island. After a delightful breakfast, we got ready for our first adventure of the day along the cliffs of a magic underwater world known as Gardner Islet. As soon as we got into the water, the marvels of the Galápagos Marine Reserve were revealed to our eyes. Baby Galápagos sea lions were swimming around us and reef fishes of different colors were found all over the rocks, but the main highlight was definitely the stone scorpion fish that easily camouflaged against the walls of Gardner Islet.
After a magical experience along the cliffs of Gardner Islet, it was time to go to one of the most emblematic beaches of the Galápagos: Gardner Bay. During the arrival, the welcome committee was arranged by the playful Galápagos sea lions that are found in one of the most spectacular colonies of the Islands. During our visit we witnessed all kinds of behaviors that could be seen in this iconic mammal. In the very last moment of exploration, two big male sea lions started fighting over their territories turning it into a remarkable expedition moment.
As we returned to the National Geographic Islander, we had a fantastic time that included an Ecuadorian buffet lunch, while we pulled anchor and moved to our next destination: Punta Suarez. In the afternoon, the adventure got even better; the best way to begin was to experience a visitor site totally covered by colorful marine iguanas. Farther into the trail, a symphony of nature was displayed by the courtship of the waved albatross. Once we reached the farthest side of the trail, we had the opportunity to view one of the largest Nazca booby colonies found on the Islands.
On the way back to the disembarkation area, we finally enjoyed the presence of one of the most emblematic seabirds of the archipelago: the blue-footed booby. The charms of nature were exhibited in the courtship display of the blue-footed boobies found in the area. At the end of our journey, we enjoyed a beautiful landscape decorated by the sunset on the horizon. Today we had one of the most superb visits at the living paradise of the Galápagos Islands.
