Española Island
Located in southeast of the Galápagos Islands, this is an obligatory stop for adventurers who want to experience profound contact with the best nature can offer from simple life to macro.
The day started beautifully and the early risers got the best of it by kayaking around volcanic islets surrounded by incredibly Caribbean turquoise water – there were barking sea lions in the distance and birds awake flying around for their first meal. It was magical, and the day only improved.
After breakfast we went for a swim with sea lions who put on a spectacular show for us. We also saw many fish, and our lovely morning ended with a nice walk on a beautiful white sand beach packed with resting sea lions that sometimes rose to pose for the demanding Paparazzi.
A short navigation took us to another lovely site on Española, Punta Suarez, which is a bird sanctuary and the only place where the endemic waved albatross nests. We saw a couple of them, which is not always possible since they spend some of their time in the open ocean – it was nice to see them back!
Hiking here was an incredible experience with life visible every step of the way. Just as you expect, lava lizards were running across our path, colorful marine iguanas were nesting, Nazca boobies were whistling and honking engaged in the task of feeding their young, mockingbirds came so close it was as if they were asking us what we were doing in their domain.
Something that really caught our eyes was a blowhole – a place in the rocks where wave action causes water to blast high like a geyser. There is so much wild life here – the island was beautiful from the beginning of the day to the end.
