First thing in the morning, with the first light, we went kayaking along the beautiful cliffs of Gardner Bay. Our group spotted sea lions, blue-footed boobies, iguanas and frigatebirds. After breakfast, we landed on the bay’s white sand beach. This area is home to a colony of sea lions that welcomed us by posing for our cameras. They rested and laid around the beach, allowing us to enjoy their presence and relaxed feel. A Galapagos hawk flew right over us and landed close enough for a photographic session. On the beach, some of us went deep water snorkeling in a small islet. The water temperature was perfect, 77°F, and packs of sea lions swam along with us.
In the afternoon, we explored inland at Suarez Point. The walk started by the beach where hundreds of marine iguanas basked on rocks. In just the first few minutes, we spotted more than ten species of wildlife. Land birds were curious about our presence, including the Española mockingbird. We continued inland and walked through the nesting grounds of Nazca boobies. When we reached the cliffs, we witnessed the famous Española blowhole and spectacular views of the coastline with hundreds of birds in the sky.
