Española Island
It is 6:12pm and the orange fireball sun just sunk below a cloudless horizon; we were on deck and hoping for a green flash, but it was neon orange ‘til it disappeared. Now showered and refreshed, the guests are ambling into the lounge for some “bocaditos” and a drink. There are happy sighs and chatter among them since we’ve had an absolutely fabulous final day on Española Island. But it has been bittersweet, as almost everyone is sad to see the week’s wonderful voyage come to an end.
Before lunch today, we had amazing experiences! We snorkeled with big sting rays, many fish and a pair of sea lions in crystal clear waters; kayaked along the northern coast under rocky cliffs escorted by leaping sea lions, a few floating sea turtles and frigates and boobies on the wing; spent a delightful and relaxing time on a gorgeous white sand beach observing and photographing over 300 sea lions (and I had a predictably hard time getting the guests to leave this lovely beach at noon and return to the ship!); and, to top off a full and exhilarating morning, as we left our anchorage, we were thrilled by several hundred bottlenose dolphins that leapt and splashed and rode our bow wake.
The afternoon’s walk at Punta Suarez was hot but also outstanding. We disembarked on a concrete dock and were greeted by red and green marine iguanas, the cheeky and curious Española mockingbirds and more of the ubiquitous and ever-charming sea lions. The boulder strewn trail led along a spectacular cliff, through a Nazca booby colony, to an overview of the blow hole.
Further along, as we reached the high cliffs and then turned inland, we were pleased to find a few of the last remaining waved albatross. They sailed low over our heads on the wind above the cliff. These large sea birds nest only on Española in all the world, but they spend the hot, rainy months of mid- to late- January through mid-March at sea. I had feared that all the albatross would have left the island by now, headed for the cool, rich waters of the Humboldt Current. But we were fortunate to see half a dozen of the elegant birds. Among them, we particularly enjoyed watching one large juvenile who was working hard at flying.
Back on board the NG Islander we toasted one another, reminisced, shared our highlights and exchanged email addresses. Everyone agreed that this week has surpassed their greatest expectations! We have indeed been enchanted by the fearless inhabitants of the magical “Islas Encantadas.”
It is 6:12pm and the orange fireball sun just sunk below a cloudless horizon; we were on deck and hoping for a green flash, but it was neon orange ‘til it disappeared. Now showered and refreshed, the guests are ambling into the lounge for some “bocaditos” and a drink. There are happy sighs and chatter among them since we’ve had an absolutely fabulous final day on Española Island. But it has been bittersweet, as almost everyone is sad to see the week’s wonderful voyage come to an end.
Before lunch today, we had amazing experiences! We snorkeled with big sting rays, many fish and a pair of sea lions in crystal clear waters; kayaked along the northern coast under rocky cliffs escorted by leaping sea lions, a few floating sea turtles and frigates and boobies on the wing; spent a delightful and relaxing time on a gorgeous white sand beach observing and photographing over 300 sea lions (and I had a predictably hard time getting the guests to leave this lovely beach at noon and return to the ship!); and, to top off a full and exhilarating morning, as we left our anchorage, we were thrilled by several hundred bottlenose dolphins that leapt and splashed and rode our bow wake.
The afternoon’s walk at Punta Suarez was hot but also outstanding. We disembarked on a concrete dock and were greeted by red and green marine iguanas, the cheeky and curious Española mockingbirds and more of the ubiquitous and ever-charming sea lions. The boulder strewn trail led along a spectacular cliff, through a Nazca booby colony, to an overview of the blow hole.
Further along, as we reached the high cliffs and then turned inland, we were pleased to find a few of the last remaining waved albatross. They sailed low over our heads on the wind above the cliff. These large sea birds nest only on Española in all the world, but they spend the hot, rainy months of mid- to late- January through mid-March at sea. I had feared that all the albatross would have left the island by now, headed for the cool, rich waters of the Humboldt Current. But we were fortunate to see half a dozen of the elegant birds. Among them, we particularly enjoyed watching one large juvenile who was working hard at flying.
Back on board the NG Islander we toasted one another, reminisced, shared our highlights and exchanged email addresses. Everyone agreed that this week has surpassed their greatest expectations! We have indeed been enchanted by the fearless inhabitants of the magical “Islas Encantadas.”
