We enjoyed a full day of activities on Espanola, the oldest island in the Galapagos archipelago and thus teeming with wildlife. We began with an early-morning kayak along the coast of Gardner Bay. After breakfast, we spent time at Gardner Beach, where Galapagos sea lions rested after hunting for hours. Deepwater snorkeling on the leeward side of Gardner Islet was a hit, as playful sea lions came to play with our guests and big schools of fish were seen. Our afternoon was crowned with a hike at Punta Suarez, where observed the courtship behavior of waved albatrosses, who are back on Espanola after an absence of four months!
- Daily Expedition Reports
- 01 May 2023
Espanola Island, 5/1/2023, National Geographic Islander II
- Aboard the National Geographic Islander II
- Galápagos
Vanessa Gallo, Naturalist
Vanessa Gallo’s grandparents arrived in the Galápagos Islands in 1936, making her the third generation of her family to live and work in this magical archipelago. She left the islands for the capital city of Quito for high school, where she discovere...
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San Cristobal is the easternmost island of the Galapagos and one of the oldest. It has a wealth of human, geological, and genetic history, with a unique contrast among its habitats. Today we visited its most iconic sites, including Punta Pitt’s golden beach, which is made from volcanic material and is a resting site for sea lions. Its mountain is comprised of compact ash, known as tuff cones. This destination has a healthy colony of red-footed boobies, which are the least known in the archipelago, and we were surprised by the dance of blue-footed boobies and the beautiful great frigatebirds nesting near the trail. We also visited the western central coast of the island at Cerro Brujo, with one of the most beautiful beaches in the archipelago, with soft, fine white sand. Our day culminated with a beautiful sunset at Kicker Rock.