3 Best Espanola Island National Park Visitor Sites
Gardner Bay – For most of the year, the sea lions and sea lion pups are the main attraction at Gardner Bay. But from April until December, this white sandy beach is the nesting site for nearly all of the 12,000 remaining pairs of waved albatrosses. Other than a small colony on Isla de la Plata by Ecuador’s mainland, the world’s entire waved albatross population can be seen here. There are also three species of finches here and occasionally a giant tortoise.
Suarez Point – Here, explorers will be astounded as they watch the endemic albatrosses launch themselves off of the cliff and take flight. But the site is known for more than just the birds – a blowhole on the cliff’s edge blasts water into the air as the waves crash into the bottom of it. This blowhole has become a popular attraction at Suarez Point.
Osborn Islet – The tranquil white sands of this site make it an ideal home for sea lions and their pups. You can swim, kayak, and snorkel right in their company as they glide through the water.