Española Island
Our first day in the Galápagos Islands was like a dream come true, full of magic, surprises and adventures that only can be found in one of the oldest islands of the archipelago, Española.
The morning visit was at the western side of the island, Gardner Bay, a startling long white beach, where sea lions stretched themselves in large groups of females and pups all over the beach, furthermore, a group of juveniles were frolicking in the water really enthusiastic with some of our young explorers that were trying to learn their body surfing techniques.
We were able to spend the late morning strolling among these captivating marine mammals, watching as the adults recovered from their long journeys at sea, while the pups played around on the sand and the mocking birds explored our belongings.
The conditions along the tiny Gardner Islet led us to a spectacular snorkeling. A steep wall, covered with captivating invertebrates, like anemones, barnacles, sponges, added color to the wall, king angel fish, surgeon fish, creole fish, snapper and grunt, swam around us like if we were part of their habitat. It was not easy to go back on the Zodiac and end this marvelous expedition.
In the afternoon we visited Punta Suarez, at the east side of the island, here we learned that Española is home to an incredible large number of endemic species that were to be seen all along our walk. Some of the animals are endemic to Española like the mocking bird, lava lizards, the red marine iguanas and the waved albatross, that come here only to nest and raise their chicks.
Besides all these endemic birds and reptiles we had the elation of sharing the visitor site with Nazca boobies and their chicks, swallow-tailed gulls, hawks, Darwin finches and Galápagos doves that made up an absolutely unforgettable experience. Now all we can think of is that, if the first day is like this what wonders are awaiting for us the rest of our journey?
