Española Island is located in the far southeast of the archipelago and is considered, along with Santa Fe, one of the oldest islands, at around four million years old. The boat trip from Santa Cruz Island to Española takes approximately 10 to 12 hours. Visitors come here to witness the courtship dances of albatrosses and blue-footed boobies. Due to its great variety of seabirds, this island is very popular among bird watchers. You can find masked boobies, blue-footed boobies, Galapagos gulls, red-footed boobies, thrushes, swallow-tailed gulls, and, most notably, albatrosses. There are two main places to visit: Bahia Gardner and Punta Suarez.
GARDNER BAY
Gardner Bay is a beach approximately 1 km long, one of the most beautiful in all of the Galapagos. It is home to numerous colonies of sea lions and its turquoise waters create a beautiful contrast with the white sand formed by shell dust. Large marine iguanas and zayapas mingle on the rocks.
The jackdaws fight for territory and inspect the tourists' backpacks. About 50 m from the shore there is a rock where you can find tropical fish and rays while snorkeling. One of the most spectacular places in the Galapagos is Gardner Rock, which can be accessed via boat. The white tip sharks and other inhabitants of the sea live here.
PUNTA SUAREZ
Punta Suarez is located at the western end of the island of Hispaniola. The tourist route is about 2 km long and winds from one end of the island to the other, where you can see spectacular birds. Many finches nest here, so be careful not to step on their nests (depending on the season). You may also see red marine iguanas resting in the sun or vultures in the treetops, hunting the young blue-footed boobies. Following the trail you may encounter the masked boobies that nest almost all year round on the cliffs.
The highlight of the tour is undoubtedly the Galapagos albatross colony, endemic to this island and found nowhere else in the islands or the world. From mid-March to the end of December there are about 12,000 birds of this fascinating species, which have a wing span of about 2.40 meters. On the cliffs, they look uncomfortable, but when they fly they are the kings of the sky.
A short distance from the albatross colony is Blowing Hole. It is a spring of water up to 20 m (50-75 ft) high created by the waves. All the energy is pushed through a small hole in the cliff, whose phenomenon resembles a geyser.
