Los Islotes & Punta Dispensa
A gorgeous sunrise, crowned by yet another green flash, marked the beginning of a wonderful day. Soon, the very noisy California sea lions called our attention as the National Geographic Sea Lion made her way towards their small rookery at Los Islotes.
Part of the Espiritu Santo Archipelago National Park, Los Islotes (meaning “the islets”) are a couple of small, guano-covered rocks of volcanic origin located on the northeastern part of La Paz Bay. It is a refuge for a number of sea lions and many different species of marine birds. Blue-footed and brown boobies, yellow-footed gulls, magnificent frigate birds, Brandt’s cormorants, great blue herons and even a pair of peregrine falcons call this place home. We all enjoyed great views of them from the Zodiacs, and marveled at the way the sea lions make rocks seem so comfortable!
Underwater, bumphead and bicolor parrotfishes, pyramid and crown-of-thorns sea stars, a beautiful young Cortez damselfish nicknamed “Liza” and even a solitary zebra moray eel roamed the well-fertilized waters around Los Islotes.
In the early afternoon we dropped the anchor at Punta Dispensa, on the southwestern portion of Espiritu Santo Island. This island, from which the National Park receives its name, was purchased a few years ago by a group of organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Lindblad Expeditions, and given back to the Mexican Government in order to protect it for life from development and exploitation of its natural resources.
Several endemic species and subspecies of reptiles, plants and mammals inhabit it, including the cute antelope ground squirrel and the black jackrabbit. Today we all had the chance to admire its beauty by kayaking, snorkeling and hiking and ate a delicious BBQ dinner ashore.
As our Expedition Leader predicted early in the morning, we really enjoyed another beautiful day in Baja California!
A gorgeous sunrise, crowned by yet another green flash, marked the beginning of a wonderful day. Soon, the very noisy California sea lions called our attention as the National Geographic Sea Lion made her way towards their small rookery at Los Islotes.
Part of the Espiritu Santo Archipelago National Park, Los Islotes (meaning “the islets”) are a couple of small, guano-covered rocks of volcanic origin located on the northeastern part of La Paz Bay. It is a refuge for a number of sea lions and many different species of marine birds. Blue-footed and brown boobies, yellow-footed gulls, magnificent frigate birds, Brandt’s cormorants, great blue herons and even a pair of peregrine falcons call this place home. We all enjoyed great views of them from the Zodiacs, and marveled at the way the sea lions make rocks seem so comfortable!
Underwater, bumphead and bicolor parrotfishes, pyramid and crown-of-thorns sea stars, a beautiful young Cortez damselfish nicknamed “Liza” and even a solitary zebra moray eel roamed the well-fertilized waters around Los Islotes.
In the early afternoon we dropped the anchor at Punta Dispensa, on the southwestern portion of Espiritu Santo Island. This island, from which the National Park receives its name, was purchased a few years ago by a group of organizations including the World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy and Lindblad Expeditions, and given back to the Mexican Government in order to protect it for life from development and exploitation of its natural resources.
Several endemic species and subspecies of reptiles, plants and mammals inhabit it, including the cute antelope ground squirrel and the black jackrabbit. Today we all had the chance to admire its beauty by kayaking, snorkeling and hiking and ate a delicious BBQ dinner ashore.
As our Expedition Leader predicted early in the morning, we really enjoyed another beautiful day in Baja California!
