Española Island

The National Geographic Polaris took us to the Eastern side of the archipelago for our first full day.

We started with one of the most challenging and outstanding walks of the week, at Punta Suarez, where colonies of boobies, Nazca and blue-footed boobies were surrounding us all the way up to this geological formation known as the blow hole. The landscape of Española Island is magical. The cliff is one of the favourite areas for sea birds: gulls, tropic birds, frigates and even some of the few Albatrosses that are arriving for the new season were spotted. On land everything is green, marine iguanas were in every little space between the boulders, it is their nesting period, so we had the opportunity to see them digging their holes in the few places they had available. Lava lizards ran around our feet, and the mockingbirds came curious to give a closer look to every visitor.

Can you imagine your hat and bag trapped between two sea lions? It’s possible at Gardner Bay, our visit in the afternoon. A white coralline beach, one mile long… and hundreds of sea lions on it! We could share incredible moments with these animals while some of us went to the deep water snorkelling or to the glass bottom boat, or the kayaks, there were options for everybody. Even for the sea lions!