Today we woke up in the crystal-clear blue waters of Española, the oldest island in the Galapagos archipelago. This was the first full day of our expedition, and the Galapagos fauna certainly met all our expectations. After a delicious breakfast prepared by the galley, our guests chose between deep water snorkeling or enjoying one of the most beautiful beaches in the islands.
Gardner Bay is a unique place, and we observed a sea lion colony. Curious Española mockingbirds approached our visitors and came very close to interact. Some of them even inspected our backpacks! The tameness of the animals always surprises our guests!
After a well-deserved break in the afternoon, we boarded our Zodiacs again. We headed to Punta Suárez, a visitors’ site known for its abundance of wildlife, including one of the largest nesting grounds for Nazca boobies. As soon as we landed, we encountered numerous sunbathing marine iguanas. These reptiles need the sun and shade to regulate their body temperature. We arrived at a sea lion colony on the beach, and everyone enjoyed photographing playful baby sea lions. On the rocky trail, we found many animals, including various boobies, sea lions, marine iguanas, mockingbirds, lava lizards, finches, and more. There is no doubt why this place is sometimes referred to as “bird island.”
After an incredible afternoon, our guests returned to the ship to enjoy cocktail hour and the first recap of our expedition. What an amazing first day!
