Española Island
Today was another wonderful day at the fabulous living paradise of the Galapagos Islands. After a fantastic breakfast buffet, we got our gear ready in order to discover the amazing underwater world of Gardner Islet. As soon as we got into the water we were amazed to observe how these lava walls were covered with colorful reef fish. While snorkeling, we were surprised by an amazingly big jeweled moray coming out of its home crevice. A few minutes later, a big octopus was so well camouflaged that we almost did not see it. Once back on board the National Geographic Islander, there was no time to waste, we got ready for a relaxing moment on one of the most beautiful beaches of the Archipelago: Gardner Bay Beach. As soon as we landed, we were surrounded by more than one hundred Galapagos sea lions. They were all over the area. An additional visitor, the Hood mockingbirds were grouping themselves among us just like professional racketeers.
After a fantastic lunch buffet and a comfortable sail, we anchored at Punta Suarez. It was time to visit one of the most amazing visiting places of the Galapagos Islands in the island of the sea birds. As soon as we had the wet landing, these amazingly colored marine iguanas were motionless on the rocks, statues that made a perfect contrast with the lava rocks. Farther into the trail, blue footed boobies were singing all over the place, Nazca booby nests were found around the cliff area, and the young waved albatrosses looked spectacular as they spread their wings in an attempt to take off from the island.
As we took the inner trail, we were surprised by a curious Galapagos snake that was trying to find its pray between the rocks. Much further inside, a big number of fantastic land birds were singing around us like a natural unique choir. Warbler finches were looking for insects, large cactus finches were all over the ground in an exhausting search for seeds, and the Galapagos doves looked so elegant as they scratched the ground trying to find their dinner. At the end of this fantastic adventure, we enjoyed one of the most spectacular sunsets of the trip, with a clear horizon behind the lava rocks that made it perfect for a nice portrait. Today we had an amazing day at the living paradise of the Galapagos Islands.