Española Island
The Galápagos Archipelago is a group of tropical oceanic islands, the only ones left in the world that can still boast their full complement of endemic (meaning unique to this place) and native flora and fauna. Oceanic islands are islands that came up from the ocean floor and started life barren and sterile, never having been connected to a continent in any way. Huge stretches of ocean separate them from the nearest mainland, meaning only plants and animals with certain specific characteristics (generalists with good dispersal abilities and the ability to survive many days or even weeks at sea) can cross this barrier and eke out a living in places as remote as these. As a result of this, all oceanic islands are famously repositories of the weirdest examples of the world’s wildlife, and Galápagos is no exception: giant tortoises, flightless cormorants, nocturnal gulls, the only sea-going lizards in the world… And of course, the most endearing characteristic of oceanic island faunas is their all-pervading fearlessness: the reflection of an ecological naïveté that results from a complete absence of efficient mammalian predators.
Our first full day exploring this magical place was spent on the oldest and south-easternmost island in the group: Española. The tide was out, and on taking Zodiac rides into the landing site, we were greeted by that strangest but most truly “Galápagueño” of sights: dozens of marine iguanas (of the red-and-black variety unique to the southern islands of the group) taking to the water, swimming out with their legs stretched out alongside their bodies, tails making the undulating movements that propel their sinuous bodies forward. Upon reaching the exposed rocks, the reptiles clamber up and start grazing the algal mats both above and below the water: an astonishing sight leaving us in no doubt that we had indeed reached the famed Galápagos Islands! The rest of our nature walk just kept getting better, as the fearlessness of the island’s fauna allowed to observe all kinds of fascinating behaviour, including the unforgettable courtship of the largest and most beautiful of our Galápagos seabirds: the waved albatross. This magnificent bird spends most of its life at sea, only ever coming into land to find its mate and start its breeding cycle – and the only place they ever come to land in is the spectacular island we visited today.
These were just two of the many highlights we enjoyed today, others including walking through booby colonies, swimming with sealions, strolling a spectacular white sandy beach and kayaking along starkly volcanic shorelines: and all this is just the first day!
