Espanola Island – Gardner Bay & Suarez Point
We navigated towards Española Island, the oldest of the Galápagos archipelago. Anchoring at Gardner Bay, we started very early with a pre-breakfast kayaking activity. Going around Gardner Islet on a kayak was a totally different experience. We enjoyed the show given by some playful sea lions and watched the shoreline being guarded by herons. It was just the perfect way to start!
Heading out with our water excursions, we had the chance to explore the underwater world of Gardner Islet, encountering some rays and schools of colorful fish that inhabit the rocky reefs around the area.
As the day became sunnier and light reflected by sandy bottoms made the water very clear and turquoise, we headed towards Gardner Beach. This is a beautiful sandy beach that holds one of the largest Galápagos sea lion colonies. Having a walk along this white coralline sand beach packed with sea lions integrated us into this pristine taste of nature, making us think about our very important role as humans and as part of this natural world where we live.
For the afternoon expedition, we had a dry landing on Suarez Point, a very outstanding landscape area, being welcomed by a whole world of species not only endemic to the Galápagos, but also sub-endemic to Espanola. A great lookout in this area called the Blow Hole allowed us to watch a sky area full of a wide variety of birds, like the Galápagos hawk (endemic, top predator on land).
Here we also saw the largest of the four species of mockingbirds; the most colorful marine iguanas of seven races; and the largest of seven species of lava lizards. What a wonderful place to finish our expedition in the enchanted archipelago!
Recognizing that these islands are a microcosm of the rest of Planet Earth, we will return home knowing how to treat pristine places in our home environments.
