Espanola Island
We arrived very early in the morning to Espanola (or Hood) Island. This is the oldest island in the archipelago and where we spent our last day. Our day began kayaking along the coast of Gardner Bay, and a nice gentle breeze blowing behind our backs accompanied us all the way along. The dramatic cliffs of Gardner were filled with blue footed boobies, Nazca boobies (formerly known as masked boobies) and brown pelicans. They were all resting, but at the same time, scanning the horizon for any possible food source. We also saw green sea turtles while several playful juvenile Galápagos sea lions were following us along the way.
After kayaking, we returned aboard for breakfast, and once done, had multiple activities that included snorkeling and beach time. Our guests really enjoyed the white beach, and the snorkeling was superb, according to everyone who chose that option.
The afternoon was like the tip of the cake for our visit in the Galápagos, as we explored Punta Suarez and realized that, even though it’s the very last day of our expedition, we haven’t seen it all yet. There were four new endemic species of birds and reptiles that are unique to Espanola, and we saw them all!
The lava lizards, mockingbirds and marine iguanas are three of the new species that we spotted soon after our landing; the waved albatross was not seen until we reached the very impressive cliffs of the island. Once we saw this majestic bird, we came to realize that it was all worth it, not only our trip to Espanola, but our entire Galápagos experience!
And so another wonderful week in the Galápagos finishes, with a sunset that was worth publishing in National Geographic!
We arrived very early in the morning to Espanola (or Hood) Island. This is the oldest island in the archipelago and where we spent our last day. Our day began kayaking along the coast of Gardner Bay, and a nice gentle breeze blowing behind our backs accompanied us all the way along. The dramatic cliffs of Gardner were filled with blue footed boobies, Nazca boobies (formerly known as masked boobies) and brown pelicans. They were all resting, but at the same time, scanning the horizon for any possible food source. We also saw green sea turtles while several playful juvenile Galápagos sea lions were following us along the way.
After kayaking, we returned aboard for breakfast, and once done, had multiple activities that included snorkeling and beach time. Our guests really enjoyed the white beach, and the snorkeling was superb, according to everyone who chose that option.
The afternoon was like the tip of the cake for our visit in the Galápagos, as we explored Punta Suarez and realized that, even though it’s the very last day of our expedition, we haven’t seen it all yet. There were four new endemic species of birds and reptiles that are unique to Espanola, and we saw them all!
The lava lizards, mockingbirds and marine iguanas are three of the new species that we spotted soon after our landing; the waved albatross was not seen until we reached the very impressive cliffs of the island. Once we saw this majestic bird, we came to realize that it was all worth it, not only our trip to Espanola, but our entire Galápagos experience!
And so another wonderful week in the Galápagos finishes, with a sunset that was worth publishing in National Geographic!
