Espanola
A jewel in the crown!!
Espanola is in the southeast corner of the Galapagos and is also the oldest island, geologically speaking.
It’s a stunning place for animals; both on land and in the water. Our first adventure of the day started very early for some guests, with kayaking along the coast is exiting as many birds can be seen flying around as well as some sea lions and turtles, the latter mating.
After breakfast we all get ready for more; grab our snorkeling gear and head out for some deep water snorkeling along the coast of a small islet with many different types of fish, sea lions, rays, and more, especially colorful invertebrates on the walls.
Some others just decided to catch up on snorkeling from the beach, still it is possible to see some animals like sea lions playing in the waves and also turtles swimming around in search of algae.
After this, we had a walk along a beautiful white sand beach where many sea lions rest from their swimming and diving for fish in the surrounding waters of the islands. Mockingbirds and lava lizards also make the place interesting for photography as they are so friendly.
That was just the morning!!
After lunch we are ready for more. This time we go to another place on the same island called Punta Suarez, which is crowded with animals from beginning to end.
To welcome us are sea lions, crabs of all colors, colorful marine iguanas and more.
As we continue along the trail heading inland the animals just show up from everywhere, mostly nesting birds.
Hundreds of Nazca boobies making so much noise as they play the courtship or sit on the eggs for the incubation. Some already have chicks. Unexpectedly some albatrosses are still on the island although they shouldn’t be, as they spend a short time of the year in the open ocean of South America before they come back for nesting.
Blue footed boobies, along with their cousins, attempted to nest too, although this is not their season. This shows some kind of opportunism by some animals of the Galapagos for the irregular season throughout the years.
A couple of hawks were also a special sighting, especially for photographers that are not used to seeing these birds close to people in most of the other places where they live. This is the top predators on land in the Galapagos.
Just an amazing island like most of them.
