Hood Island

After a nice and gentle navigation last night, we arrived to the oldest realm in the archipelago.

We woke up early to go kayaking along the coast of Gardner Islet and it was fabulous. We had a nice gentle breeze, no strong current, and great light, enough to admire the beauty of the steep cliffs and the sea birds resting on the small ledges.

After breakfast we went snorkeling in deep waters, there we saw lots of fish, and marine invertebrates of all kinds. We also went to the beach in Gardner Bay; this is a beautiful place. We had sea lions and mockingbirds. Not only the animal life, but the plant life we find here is unique. Hood Island is the oldest one, and the long time, in addition to the isolation, has led to the evolution of species of plants and animals uniquely found here and nowhere else in the world.

This afternoon we went to Punta Suarez where we walked along a rocky trail with many colonies of Nazca boobies, blue footed boobies, and swallow tailed gulls. One of the main attractions this afternoon was to see the endemic Galápagos waved albatross; we are lucky to still be able to find this species of sea bird on the island; they are starting their yearly migration toward the south in front of the coasts of Peru. There these birds will stay until the end of March, as they find a lot of food in the rich cool waters of the Humboldt current.

This island was a great spot to conclude an amazing week in Galápagos.