Espanola Island
Today was unfortunately our last day exploring the Galápagos, but perhaps the best. I chose to kayak in the morning in Gardner Bay of Espanola Island. We disembarked from the ship and paddled past a white sand beach and three small bays. The water was bright blue and at some areas so clear I could see the tropical fish and sea turtles right from the kayak. The lava forms along the bays were intricate and impressive especially as the surf was crashing against them. It turned out to be a beautifully scenic trip, as well as great work out! I have especially enjoyed the kayaking on our trip as it was a great way to see both scenes, above and below the ocean.
After returning to the ship, I took the Zodiac back to the white sand beach I crossed earlier. I have never seen a beach with such white soft sand and clear blue water! While the scenery was most remarkable, the best part was the sea lions that lounged all over the shore. I seem to never tire watching them; they are so playful, amusing, and adorable!
In the afternoon, I chose to take the longer walk on an area of Espanola called Punta Suarez. Again when first landing on the island, we were greeted by my favorite of the Galápagos inhabitants, the Sea Lions. Once again it was a joy to watch them socialize and lounge on the beach and rocks. We even saw a few “body surfing” in the waves! Our hike then took us further in the island, where we saw many boobies; Blue Footed and Nazca. We also encountered some uniquely colored marine iguanas. Instead of the normal dark gray coloring, on this island they were speckled with bright reds and greens. At the finale of our hike we reached a dramatic coastline where massive lava formed cliffs reached down to the ocean. It was high tide and right before sunset so the crashing of the waves was absolutely incredible. We were lead to a blowhole which was the most impressive of all the landscape. It was a crack in the lava which apparently was an overhead opening from a cave. As the waves came in the pressure of the cave shot out air and water from the crack with incredible power. It was a fantastic sight to see at the end of an unforgettable day.
Today was unfortunately our last day exploring the Galápagos, but perhaps the best. I chose to kayak in the morning in Gardner Bay of Espanola Island. We disembarked from the ship and paddled past a white sand beach and three small bays. The water was bright blue and at some areas so clear I could see the tropical fish and sea turtles right from the kayak. The lava forms along the bays were intricate and impressive especially as the surf was crashing against them. It turned out to be a beautifully scenic trip, as well as great work out! I have especially enjoyed the kayaking on our trip as it was a great way to see both scenes, above and below the ocean.
After returning to the ship, I took the Zodiac back to the white sand beach I crossed earlier. I have never seen a beach with such white soft sand and clear blue water! While the scenery was most remarkable, the best part was the sea lions that lounged all over the shore. I seem to never tire watching them; they are so playful, amusing, and adorable!
In the afternoon, I chose to take the longer walk on an area of Espanola called Punta Suarez. Again when first landing on the island, we were greeted by my favorite of the Galápagos inhabitants, the Sea Lions. Once again it was a joy to watch them socialize and lounge on the beach and rocks. We even saw a few “body surfing” in the waves! Our hike then took us further in the island, where we saw many boobies; Blue Footed and Nazca. We also encountered some uniquely colored marine iguanas. Instead of the normal dark gray coloring, on this island they were speckled with bright reds and greens. At the finale of our hike we reached a dramatic coastline where massive lava formed cliffs reached down to the ocean. It was high tide and right before sunset so the crashing of the waves was absolutely incredible. We were lead to a blowhole which was the most impressive of all the landscape. It was a crack in the lava which apparently was an overhead opening from a cave. As the waves came in the pressure of the cave shot out air and water from the crack with incredible power. It was a fantastic sight to see at the end of an unforgettable day.
