Española Island
Our finale to this fabulous week of exploration in the magical islands of Galápagos was no less fabulous than each one of the other seven days has been. In fact, several of our elated guests said, as they returned to the ship in the late afternoon: “you saved the best for last!”
Española Island is the southeastern most and the oldest in the archipelago. It is isolated by the ocean currents and distance and hence harbors several species of birds, plants and animals that are found no where else in the islands - or in the world! It is a small, fairly flat and rocky island and is the center piece of the success story of tortoise restoration and repatriation by the efforts of the National Park and Darwin Station. From a tiny total population of 15 adult tortoises on the brink of extinction, they have been bred in captivity and there are now almost 3000 wild tortoises freely roaming the island and breeding as they have for millennium.
We began our day bright and early; a group of kayakers took to the water in the yellow boats and paddled along the islet of Gardner. They were escorted by frisky sea lions and admired the soaring sea birds and were predictably quite hungry by the time they joined the rest of us at breakfast.
We slipped into our wetsuits and boarded the Zodiacs and returned to Gardner to snorkel with schools of fish (the juvenile king angels were particularly colorful!) and several very playful, graceful and curious sea lions. Later, on the mile long brilliant white sand beach we took yet more photos of sea lions and enjoyed strolling, swimming or just relaxing. This has got to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world and we were delighted to be sharing it with a couple hundred Pinnipeds rather than other Homo sapiens!
The afternoon’s walk along a rough boulder trail was absolutely spectacular. We hiked among the ubiquitous sea lions and reddish iguanas, then through nesting blue foot and Nazca boobies and to the cliff edge where we admired a blow hole that blasted spray high into the cool afternoon sky. We sat on the cliff and watched sea birds soaring above us and elegant waved albatross courting in the drying grasses, and we were grateful for having been privileged to witness nature at her most innocent.
May the wildlife of Galápagos remain ever fearless and jealously protected, so that generations to come can enjoy them as we have!
