Española Island
Galápagos sea lions, Española marine iguanas, Española lava lizards and Española mocking birds were just a few of the species that gave our guests a warm welcoming to their home Island. Española is home for many species found nowhere else in the archipelago – the main reasons being its isolation and age.
Geologists have determined that this is the oldest of the Galápagos Islands, which explains its high degree of endemism. Of the twenty-two species of albatrosses found in our planet, the one found in Galápagos and specific to Española, is one of the smallest and the only tropical albatross. As an adaptation to this region they have reduced their body size to take advantage of the wind which isn’t as strong here as in the southern hemisphere where most albatrosses live. This morning our walk was at its best: chicks of albatrosses, Nazca and blue-footed boobies and playful newborn Galápagos sea lions.
As we disembarked early in the morning we encountered piles of marine iguanas at the landing site. In our way back from our loop we noticed that almost all of them had gone into the ocean. The tide was very low giving us a good chance to see the world’s only seagoing lizards in action.
By the afternoon we were a few miles away from our morning landing place, and we had options for every taste and activity level: Glass-bottom boating, deep-water snorkeling, kayaking, and beach bathing. Our youngest explorers had so much fun observing the innocence of Galápagos sea lions and Española mocking birds along a white coralline beach.
Without any doubt this experience will change the way our guests see the world; hopefully many will help to make our planet a better place to live on.
