Española Island: Gardner Bay and Suárez Point, 7/10/2022, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
There could not be a better way to start our time in the Galapagos than on this island full of unique wildlife and landscapes. This morning, we had an amazing time at one of the most beautiful beaches of the Galapagos, located at Gardner Bay. Some of us enjoyed our first snorkeling activity while others strolled along the soft, sandy shoreline and took pictures of playful sea lions.
After lunch, we repositioned National Geographic Endeavour II at Suarez Point, located on the western site of the island. We went inland for a great walk over boulders to see waved albatrosses, blue-footed boobies, and many more cute animals.
Karina López was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador where she received her bachelor’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality, a second technical degree as a Professional Guide of Ecuador, and a third diploma in French language at the Alliance Francaise.
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Today we visited Floreana Island. The island is historically important as the first island in the archipelago to be inhabited by humans. Our day started very early. Early risers enjoyed one of two options: a beautiful, fast-paced walk or a photography walk to explore this wonderful visitor site. Cormorant Point offers one of the most spectacular views on the island and sandy beaches, all on the same walk! We landed at a green sandy beach. After a short walk surrounded by palo santo trees, we arrived to one of the best sea turtle nesting sites on the islands. We enjoyed the company of many diamond stingrays along the shoreline and learned a lot about conservation programs for the island, including an invasive species eradication program. We were very lucky as we observed a single flamingo in the distance and blue-footed boobies very close to our guests. The baby boobies were one of the main attractions. Right after breakfast, we went snorkeling at Champion Islet. This is a spectacular snorkeling site where we snorkeled with lots of playful sea lions, sea turtles, many different species of fish, and even several whitetip reef sharks. The morning was over, but the adventures were just beginning! After a delicious lunch, we explored Post Office Bay and its surroundings by kayak. Countless sea turtles were spotted by our impressed guests, along with the very popular sea lions and a quiet great blue heron looking for food nearby. Later, it was time to follow the tradition of using the oldest mail system in the Galapagos and in Ecuador, the Post Office Bay barrel. Young pelicans accompanied our guests who enjoyed a nice, relaxing time at the beach before returning to our floating hotel, National Geographic Endeavour II . What a wonderful day!
We arrived at San Cristobal Island today. This is our last full day in the archipelago, and we had a delightful week. There were many exciting moments, and now we are at the end of a wonderful trip. Our morning started with a great hike to the top of an old cinder cone, located on the easternmost point of the archipelago. This area has a small colony of red-footed boobies, and several of these birds were flying all over the place. We heard finches and San Cristobal mockingbirds singing along the trail as we ascended to the top. To reach the top, we used an old creek that sometimes fills with rainwater during the wet season. From the top, we had a great time observing the stunning landscape. We also observed some of the young blue-footed boobies standing by the trail while waiting for their parents to return to feed them. We had great weather today with a nice and sunny morning and afternoon. We enjoyed calm seas, and everyone had a great time swimming or snorkeling after the hike. After a smooth navigation, we arrived at Cerro Brujo. The landscape has the most beautiful contrast in colors, including vibrant blue waters with white sand and black lava in the background. Along the beach, Galapagos sea lions rested and slept. We noticed some females looking for their young after returning from fishing. We could hear their loud calls, and their pups answered back. Everyone returned to the ship, and we navigated around “Leon Dormido.” This rock formation is volcanic in origin and is home for Nazca boobies, great frigatebirds, and swallow-tailed gulls. Today was a great end to our week in the Galapagos archipelago.
We are about to end our expedition in the Galapagos Islands aboard National Geographic Endeavour II. Today we visited the center island, Santa Cruz. Here we visited the Charles Darwin Research Center, the famous breeding center for giant tortoises. Later in the morning, we visited the highlands of this island. We saw how people survived when they started settling here. In the afternoon, we went to the western side of the island to see the giant tortoises in their natural habitat
