After a well-deserved rest we woke up ready for our first full day in the Galapagos Islands. Some of us couldn’t wait, and that’s why we had our first activity at 6:00 a.m.! The sun was starting to rise, illuminating beautiful Española Island, and the waters were calm – it was the perfect setting for kayaking.
The rest of us woke up at 7:00 for our first stretching class, then at 7:30 breakfast was ready. At 8:30 we were ready for the water! We got our gear and then we left the ship for our different activities. Some of us went to snorkel in deep waters and some others went to Gardner Bay to practice snorkeling first from the beach.
Deep water snorkeling was a pleasant experience. The visibility was great and we had the company of some sea lions that came to play with us! Meanwhile, Gardner Bay offered a perfect chance for our beginner snorkelers to practice and feel comfortable exploring the amazing underwater world. Then we all enjoyed the beautiful beach where hundreds of sea lions were relaxing and socializing. We had a great morning.
The afternoon was different but overwhelming as well. We disembarked at Punta Suarez. A lava terrain full of boulders took us to an almost unreal place - the cliff from where hundreds of albatross take off. We arrived at the cliff and found the area covered with white heads, which is why we call this place “the airport.” We found some of the first eggs of the year and even witnessed some courtships! But Española has more to offer. Many of the species we saw are just found on this island - the mockingbird, the lava lizard, the snake, they are all endemic species to Española and are found nowhere else. And finally, almost at the very end of the visit, we found a Galapagos hawk.
Of course we wanted to stay as long as possible at this amazing place, but this was only our first full day in Galapagos. It couldn’t be better!
