Española Island
Gardner Bay was our last full day in the Galápagos. We got prepared for sea lion snorkeling in the morning, and everything else…and we met them indeed! Early kayakers had been in the waters of Gardner before breakfast, and reported cool sea lion stuff too. The rest of the morning was spent at the white coralline beach, with pups and mothers, bulls and juveniles all together. It was a time to relax, take pictures, swim and recall the memories of the week.
Our afternoon was on the other side of Española, in a place called Punta Suarez. The hike was long and pleasant, while hundred of nesting blue footed boobies, Nazca boobies, and tropic birds, gulls and many other birds greeted us along the way.
But our main aim was the Galápagos albatross. Our search for this incredible animal that can spend over five years at sea was rewarded by the sight of dozens of them, preening, feeding their babies, or chilling out under the gentle breezes of the Pacific Ocean. It is certainly the most magnificent bird of the Galápagos archipelago… a wonderful end for our trip.
Tomorrow we say goodbye to these magical islands, and to our ship, the National Geographic Islander, which is heading to a well-deserved rest in Panama, on a dry dock.
We’ll be back!
