Española Island
This was our first full day in the Galápagos with a lot of activities from very early in the morning to the very last minute of an amazing sunset. Right after breakfast we disembarked with the complete loopers followed by people doing a short walk, but the mission was the same: to enjoy the unique flora and fauna of Espanola Island which, by the way, is found in this place only.
As soon as we disembarked we had a welcoming committee composed of Española mocking birds, and a few meters away lots of colorful marine iguanas; as we continued hiking along the cliffs we saw hundreds of Nazca boobies, swallow tailed gulls, blue-footed boobies, frigates and pelicans. This was not an easy walk because apart from watching the boulders we had to pay a lot of attention in order to avoid stepping on the Española lava lizards, which are everywhere.
Almost at the end of the cliff we saw an amazing splash of water up in the air. This is known as the blow hole, due to the pressure caused by the waves entering a fissure. But our main interest was to see the waved albatrosses, and there they were, at their best. Hundreds of them were sitting in the water; some others were gliding right in front of us, while some others were courting; many probably were waiting for their mates to come back to start their breeding time. In a few weeks we will have lots of albatross eggs, and soon lots of chicks. This is going to be spectacular for months to come……
After a delicious Peruvian lunch and a short siesta our guests were ready again to continue with their adventure. And this time planning their activities was very important because at Gardner Bay we offered deep water snorkeling, kayaking, the glass bottom boat, and snorkeling lesson at a white sandy beach. Some of our guests managed to do all of them while others preferred to do one or two options and relax or walk along the most beautiful white sandy beach covered with Galápagos sea lions.
This was another fantastic day and we are looking forward for more adventures tomorrow on a different Island.
