- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
This morning arrive at Española Island and explore Gardner Bay and the Gardner and Osborn Islets. Land on a beautiful white coral sandy beach guarded by a colony of sea lions. There are no trails, so you must stay along the shore where you can spot Galapagos hawks, American oystercatchers, Galapagos ground doves, Hood mockingbirds, yellow warblers, lava lizards, marine iguanas, and three species of Darwin’s finches: a subspecies of the large cactus finch, which is similar to the large ground finch, the small ground finch (Geospiza fuliginosa) and the warbler finch (Certhidea Olivacea), another endemic subspecies. Swimming and snorkeling offer a great variety of the Galapagos’ marine wildlife: king angelfish, creole fish, damsel fish, parrotfish, manta rays, and white-tipped reef sharks.
In the afternoon, travel over to Suarez Point in Española, an island of geological interest, volcanic formations and a riveting wildlife: large sea lion colonies and seabirds including the Española mockingbird, Nazca boobies, and the spectacular red-billed tropicbird. You can also encounter marine iguanas, lava lizards, and the colorful Sally lightfoot crabs. Enjoy a lengthy hike that bring you among Nazca and blue-footed boobies, right up to nesting grounds that sometimes overlap the trail. Other birding favorites include Galapagos dove, Galapagos hawk, swallow-tailed gulls and the world’s largest colony of waved albatross, an unequivocal highlight during mating season (May-December). Admire the island’s dramatic backdrop, featuring the famous “Soplador”, a seaward blowhole that shoots up water up to 23 m (75 ft) in the air.