Española Island
We anchored off Española at sunrise and some of our early risers were already enthusiastically looking for new sightings on the outside decks of the ship.This island is considered one of the oldest in the Galápagos and therefore has a high rate of endemism. From birds to marine life, Española is unequal to any other island that we’d visited during our last seven days of journey through the Galápagos archipelago.
The marine world deserves especial mention, since the diversity of fish inhabiting every inch on the marine world is truly impressive.
For the most of our guests, snorkeling was an activity that couldn’t be missed; especially if you happen to be around colonies of sea lions, and knowing how inquisitive the juveniles can be, it was only natural that they would come to “check” the strange creatures invading their natural world.
Gardner Bay is part of Española, and it is located on the northern side of the island. Once we landed, we encountered the most beautiful beach that you could imagine; turquoise waters, white fine sand, and sea lions colonies all along the beach. The large number of pups at the beach is the result of the very successful last year’s breeding season on the island.
Our trip towards Punta Suarez got truncated for a while because of the presence of very active killer whales or “orcas” performing all kind of manoeuvres around the ship. The famous “tail lobbing” was among the most intriguing of all, as it seemed as if they were giving commands with every splash on the water.
It is things like this that make these islands very special and at the same time unpredictable; the more you look around, the more you see!For the late afternoon we disembarked at Punta Suarez for a walk along an extensive field full of sea bird colonies. The blue-footed boobies were once again the favourite of them all, as they were nesting and in some cases, even taking care already of their young chicks.
This flat, old island is also the home to the Galápagos Waved Albatross; a bird that was not supposed to return until mid-April but, as one more final extra treat to our very lucky group of guests, some of them had made it back already, and they were found sitting literally in the middle of the trail!
I can not say more; just that it was another unforgettable day in paradise!
We anchored off Española at sunrise and some of our early risers were already enthusiastically looking for new sightings on the outside decks of the ship.This island is considered one of the oldest in the Galápagos and therefore has a high rate of endemism. From birds to marine life, Española is unequal to any other island that we’d visited during our last seven days of journey through the Galápagos archipelago.
The marine world deserves especial mention, since the diversity of fish inhabiting every inch on the marine world is truly impressive.
For the most of our guests, snorkeling was an activity that couldn’t be missed; especially if you happen to be around colonies of sea lions, and knowing how inquisitive the juveniles can be, it was only natural that they would come to “check” the strange creatures invading their natural world.
Gardner Bay is part of Española, and it is located on the northern side of the island. Once we landed, we encountered the most beautiful beach that you could imagine; turquoise waters, white fine sand, and sea lions colonies all along the beach. The large number of pups at the beach is the result of the very successful last year’s breeding season on the island.
Our trip towards Punta Suarez got truncated for a while because of the presence of very active killer whales or “orcas” performing all kind of manoeuvres around the ship. The famous “tail lobbing” was among the most intriguing of all, as it seemed as if they were giving commands with every splash on the water.
It is things like this that make these islands very special and at the same time unpredictable; the more you look around, the more you see!For the late afternoon we disembarked at Punta Suarez for a walk along an extensive field full of sea bird colonies. The blue-footed boobies were once again the favourite of them all, as they were nesting and in some cases, even taking care already of their young chicks.
This flat, old island is also the home to the Galápagos Waved Albatross; a bird that was not supposed to return until mid-April but, as one more final extra treat to our very lucky group of guests, some of them had made it back already, and they were found sitting literally in the middle of the trail!
I can not say more; just that it was another unforgettable day in paradise!
