Española Island
Our expedition in the Galápagos Islands has taken us to the youngest areas of this archipelago, with their black, perfectly formed shield volcanoes, through the ‘middle-aged’ islands with more jagged outlines and now, finally, we have arrived to the oldest of them all: Española. Located in the south-east, this island is in the path of the trade winds, so it has become eroded, with flat tops. Here we can also find high rates of endemism amongst its wildlife.
This morning, the National Geographic Islander dropped anchor at Gardner Bay, which looked stunning today in the sunshine, with turquoise waters and white coralline sands. Before breakfast, there was a last opportunity for our guests to do some kayaking, and afterwards, some snorkeling. There is a small islet located in the middle of this bay, and here one can always find Galápagos sea lions ready to play with the snorkelers, and the numbers of fish are countless: from guinea fowl puffers, to butterfly fish, barber fish, amongst many others. A walk on the beach was a must. It was certainly an idyllic place, as this is also the home to a large colony of Galápagos sea lions, which allow you to sunbathe close to them in the equatorial sun.
In the afternoon we sailed again to get to Punta Suarez, still on Española Island. This is considered one of the highlights of the Galápagos, thanks to its abundant wildlife. The warm season is the best time of the year to visit the islands, as many of the resident species are in the middle of their breeding seasons. Particularly the local endemic subspecies of marine iguana gets bright colors during the mating season, becoming a mixture of black, red and aqua green. Such a bizarre sighting! Endemic Española lava lizards also become colorful, and here we can find the largest individuals of the entire archipelago.
All along the trail, we were followed by Española mockingbirds, which seemed almost reluctant to fly, and through the salt bushes we could also spot the few resident representatives of Darwin finches on this island, like warbler finches, small billed ground finches and large cactus finches. Nazca boobies hold large territories here by the cliffs, and at the end of the trail we could enjoy the views of the famous blowhole, a natural formation where a column of water is created when waves hit the coastline.
There was really no better way to end an expedition to this forgotten archipelago, here in the Pacific Ocean, where time and civilized life seem to be far, far away.
