Española Island
After a very calm navigation, we dropped anchor in one of the best examples of conservation in the Galápagos, Española Island. Located in the south east part of the Galápagos, Española is considered the oldest of all of them without any active volcano, but an exuberant amount of fauna and a magnificent landscape. From afar we could observe little black rocks moving, animals gliding in the air and of course mighty waves striking the coast. But little did we know of what awaited us on its shores…
I was in charge of the early kayaking and early in the morning our guests started a very exciting adventure paddling along Gardner Islet, just in front of Española. The weather was excellent, therefore it was easier to approach the shore and admire playful sea lions as they swam around the kayaks. It was at this place where we came back for the deep water snorkeling later. We started from the central part of the islet, and swam around the shore. We observed many tropical fish, rays and sea lions, but there was something that called our attention; from the bottom we observed as water was pulled up, upwelling sand and other materials; this was result of the destruction of a rock that divided that side of the bay with a cave at the opposite side, forming small fissures and consequently, a small blow hole.
This gorgeous morning ended visiting the beach of Gardner Bay where a magnificent white beach looked marvelous with an explosion of wildlife. All of our guests tried earnestly to stay focused on one animal only to realize that there were many more in back of them and in front and in every possible direction! The beach was flooded with sea lions, which looked like black stones in contrast with the white background. Their bodies covered with flies disturbed them but in others we observed as lava lizards walked on their bodies cleaning them from those tiresome insects. Our guests had a good chance to swim and walk, enjoying this beautiful place.
The National Geographic Islander left Garner bay heading to Punta Suarez. The tide was low therefore we disembarked at the small dock, where our guests could observe the rarest marine iguanas in the archipelago, showing us their red and green skin. Close to them, a group of female sea lions fed their babies and on the beach, lava lizards and all sorts of birds glided barely above our heads. It was amazing to see animals in their natural wild state, undisturbed and careless of our presence. As we walked away from the coast we could see blue-footed and Nazca boobies just in front of the cliffs. It was in this place where, in the distance, we observed a group of dolphins jumping.
We arrived at the last part of the trail, and finally our guests had the opportunity to observe the last group of waved albatross still found in Española. There were four albatrosses, all of them juveniles, ready for abandoning the island. We were very lucky. Perhaps next week they will abandon Galápagos, escaping from the rainy season, which implies high temperature and rains they can’t endure.
After sunset, we finished our visit. It was our last day in this paradise and all our guests were happy, perhaps they never will forget the innocence of the beautiful creatures that were our companions during this beautiful week.
Goodbye friends.
