Today we started very early in the morning with a pre-breakfast kayaking outing. The water was very calm, crystal clear, and relaxing, an excellent way to start an interesting day on this beautiful island!
Snorkeling was outstanding. We had the company of some Galapagos sea lions the whole way, flipping around like “Cirque du Soleil” performers. On the way, we found a huge school of black-striped salemas, so huge that they blocked the visibility of the clear water.
The white sand beach of Gardner Bay offered us stunning views. Guests who didn’t go to the deep-water snorkel had a swim in these turquoise waters. Everything felt so peaceful.
Back onboard, we had a delicious Mexican lunch with margaritas. It was very refreshing after the morning at Gardner Bay Beach.
After lunch, we navigated to Punta Suarez. As we started our hike in this beautiful area of the islands, the afternoon light was amazing for pictures. We had a beautiful encounter with the welcoming sea lions that rested on the first beach. Then we were surrounded by marine iguanas and a couple of Española mockingbirds running all over the sand. Guests divided for long and short hikes; both offered sightings of lots of sea lions, lava lizards, Galapagos doves, Nazca boobies, swallow-tailed gulls, Española ground finches, and even a hood racer. The most interesting sighting was of the waved albatross. These birds are just back on the island to start their mating season once again.
Galapagos never stops impressing us. Today and all the days of our expedition have been very enjoyable. The simplicity of the landscape combined with the beauty of the wildlife everywhere we look makes us wonder at how lucky we are to be here.
