Española Island
For the guests on Polaris this week, our first full day in Galapagos was superb! Awesome! This is a “Family Departure” and we have 24 kids ranging in ages from 6 to 16 years old who have had the luck to travel to Galapagos with their parents, siblings and/or grandparents. We had an early breakfast this morning and by 8:00 am, some of the smallest kids still brushing sleep from their eyes, we were landing on a cement dock. We had to watch our step to avoid treading on utterly fearless marine iguanas, sea lions, lava lizards and mockingbirds. The marine iguanas were parading past, en-route to an algae breakfast on the exposed rocks at the tide-line. The sea lions cavorted in the turquoise shallows and rolled, romped, nursed and snored on the tiny white sand beaches. One pup must have just been born during the night. Some of us watched as his mother coaxed him down to the shore. We caught glimpses of his wet umbilical cord and watched him nurse for what appeared to be his first time.
Dozens of blue-footed boobies tended their tiny chicks and some were still incubating eggs. We hiked to a cliff and below us, a powerful blow-hole spouted spray 70 feet into the air. We saw a “flying” marine iguana that got caught in the wrong spot as the spray was blasted high. And today we spotted the very first albatross chick of the season. He is pictured here, being tenderly cared for by one parent. No doubt the other parent was off feeding in the rich ocean waters along coast of South America.
Snorkeling, glass bottom boat outings, and a lovely mile-long white sand beach where dozens of sea lions slept and others delighted us with their playful tactics in the surf, were some of the activities that filled our afternoon. Many of the guests have asked me, what can we possibly do tomorrow and on the days to come that can equal what we did today? Just wait and see – each and every day in these magical islands is unique and unforgettable!
For the guests on Polaris this week, our first full day in Galapagos was superb! Awesome! This is a “Family Departure” and we have 24 kids ranging in ages from 6 to 16 years old who have had the luck to travel to Galapagos with their parents, siblings and/or grandparents. We had an early breakfast this morning and by 8:00 am, some of the smallest kids still brushing sleep from their eyes, we were landing on a cement dock. We had to watch our step to avoid treading on utterly fearless marine iguanas, sea lions, lava lizards and mockingbirds. The marine iguanas were parading past, en-route to an algae breakfast on the exposed rocks at the tide-line. The sea lions cavorted in the turquoise shallows and rolled, romped, nursed and snored on the tiny white sand beaches. One pup must have just been born during the night. Some of us watched as his mother coaxed him down to the shore. We caught glimpses of his wet umbilical cord and watched him nurse for what appeared to be his first time.
Dozens of blue-footed boobies tended their tiny chicks and some were still incubating eggs. We hiked to a cliff and below us, a powerful blow-hole spouted spray 70 feet into the air. We saw a “flying” marine iguana that got caught in the wrong spot as the spray was blasted high. And today we spotted the very first albatross chick of the season. He is pictured here, being tenderly cared for by one parent. No doubt the other parent was off feeding in the rich ocean waters along coast of South America.
Snorkeling, glass bottom boat outings, and a lovely mile-long white sand beach where dozens of sea lions slept and others delighted us with their playful tactics in the surf, were some of the activities that filled our afternoon. Many of the guests have asked me, what can we possibly do tomorrow and on the days to come that can equal what we did today? Just wait and see – each and every day in these magical islands is unique and unforgettable!
