Española
Española Island lies in the southeast realm of the archipelago and it is one of the oldest islands, approximately 3 million years. With this in mind let me take you to one of the most wonderful experiences that we had today on this island.
In the morning we had a wonderful snorkel with tropical fish that ranged from king angelfish to parrot fish, tiny cardinal fish and white-tipped sharks that hang out together close to the cliffs of Gardner Islet. The water was so warm, and invited us to stay for a long period of time enjoying the ocean’s beauty. But snorkeling was not the only way to enjoy this oceanic bliss because we could enjoy it from the glass-bottom boat and from the kayaks that helped us to experience the island from a different perspective.
The beach on the other side of Gardner Islet was a small paradise for the more than 300 sea lions and Española mockingbirds that shared their habitat with us. We could get so close to some of the sea lions that long lenses were useless.
At midday the captain of the National Geographic Endeavour repositioned it to Punta Suarez and in the afternoon we had a wet landing, starting our journey on big boulders that millions of years ago must have been underwater, since they are so well polished.
Red marine iguanas and sea lions welcomed us as we walked along the sandy beaches and as we walked inland we could hear some Darwin’s finches singing. Española mockingbirds were busy looking for food and nesting material.
However, the most spectacular view was yet to come. As we approached the cliffs of the island we could see the magnificent blow hole that was more superb than ever because of the high tide; we also found Nazca boobies nesting, swallow-tailed gulls resting from the previous night’s fishing trip, Galápagos doves looking for seeds and the unique red iguanas warming up on the rocks along the trail.
Yes this is how we start our week in paradise and if this is just the beginning, who knows what is waiting for us in this sole archipelago?
