Española Island
Today we had a wonderful time visiting the oldest island of the archipelago, Española. Broken pieces of solid basalt are covered now with lichens, grasses and salt bushes; its northern coast has gentle slopes and white sandy beaches that harmonize with the blue turquoise waters that had bathed them for millennia. The southern side has some of the most dramatic cliffs where thousands of sea birds called home.
Our morning was full of activities: snorkeling, kayaking, swimming and walking along the northern side of Española Island, an enchanted area known as Gardner Bay. Our morning was just perfect, with ideal weather and sea conditions to perform all our aquatic outings.
For the afternoon we headed for a great walk on Punta Suarez. Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, and swallow tailed gulls were nesting, fishing and flying above our heads. One of our highlights was a juvenile Galápagos hawk that apparently made one of his firsts hunting deals. It was not a concern at all with our presence as it devoured the poor marine iguana lying beneath his talons. Just a few yards away, an adult was observing the cruel scene, and it seemed as it was either waiting for leftovers, or simply supervising the juvenile’s hunting performance.
It did not matter where we looked; life (or death, in the case of the poor iguana!) was flourishing all over.
As we returned aboard a great sunset accompanied us, that was the perfect ending to a perfect expedition in the Galápagos Islands.
Today we had a wonderful time visiting the oldest island of the archipelago, Española. Broken pieces of solid basalt are covered now with lichens, grasses and salt bushes; its northern coast has gentle slopes and white sandy beaches that harmonize with the blue turquoise waters that had bathed them for millennia. The southern side has some of the most dramatic cliffs where thousands of sea birds called home.
Our morning was full of activities: snorkeling, kayaking, swimming and walking along the northern side of Española Island, an enchanted area known as Gardner Bay. Our morning was just perfect, with ideal weather and sea conditions to perform all our aquatic outings.
For the afternoon we headed for a great walk on Punta Suarez. Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, and swallow tailed gulls were nesting, fishing and flying above our heads. One of our highlights was a juvenile Galápagos hawk that apparently made one of his firsts hunting deals. It was not a concern at all with our presence as it devoured the poor marine iguana lying beneath his talons. Just a few yards away, an adult was observing the cruel scene, and it seemed as it was either waiting for leftovers, or simply supervising the juvenile’s hunting performance.
It did not matter where we looked; life (or death, in the case of the poor iguana!) was flourishing all over.
As we returned aboard a great sunset accompanied us, that was the perfect ending to a perfect expedition in the Galápagos Islands.
