Española Island

The morning was clear. It promised a great day, not just for us, but for all the creatures that live here. It was time to gain a little more knowledge about this stunning heaven, the Galápagos Islands. One of the best ways is by visiting, Punta Suarez, one of the superior places on Española Island. It is situated on the most western side of the island where almost all the fauna is concentrated, and gives us a wonderful and surprising opportunity to see evidence of the high percentage of endemism in the archipelago.

From the very first moment we set foot on the concrete jetty, we saw the welcoming committee; sea lions nursing , lava lizards, marine iguanas in an elevated basking position, Sally Lightfoot crabs, the endemic Española mocking bird and many sea lion pups swimming in a shallow pool. Galápagos hawks, blue-footed boobies and more gradually show up as we continued our hike. As soon as we started to hike we realized that wherever we looked, an animal was present. Through adaptations that have allowed them to continue to exist, they are still here! We are eyewitness of this extraordinary result of survival. We cannot forget to mention the waved albatross juveniles, such fascinating creatures, graceful and unique from the island. They keep coming year after year to the same place were all of them were born, the endemic Nazca boobies, the large cactus ground finch, the blow hole, all of this is a dream of beauty.

In the afternoon, we enjoyed diverse water activities, such as deep water snorkeling, glass bottom boating, kayaking and snorkeling for beginners. On the beautiful, coralline white sand beach we were surrounded by playful sea lions and hood mocking birds scouting out our belongings. On the glass bottom boat we spotted several species of colorful tropical fish and different types of sea stars.

This lovely day is fading in time, and will never come back. We are hoping to continue our incredible experiences tomorrow.