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Isla Espanola |
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The Galapagos Islands remain one of the great natural wonders of the world and few travel writers know them better than Lonely Planet author, Michael Grosberg. These are his Galapagos 'must-dos' Click to view Top 5 Galapagos Islands.
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Best For Boobies and Beaches (Espanola) |
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 After a few days in the Galapagos, it’s easy to become entirely casual about spotting beautiful birds and lumbering sea lions but two particular sites on Isla Espanola raise the experience to another level. And there's more variety to what you can see and do on this island than on most.
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While you may have to get in line behind the professional photographers lugging their gear like celebrity paparazzi, there are few sights that rival Punta Suarez for anyone, from obsessive birders to the most hard-to-please child. Seabirds, the most magnificent of which are the albatrosses, launch themselves over the dramatic cliffs at Punta Suarez. Almost the entire world population of these birds calls Espanola home and the courtship ritual of the albatross, one of the largest flying birds, with its balletic movements and honking and whistling is truly amazing even if you’re lined up group after group.
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The physical geography of the island itself is spectacular in its own right. The center of the island is strewn with boulders and large rocks that you have to skip around – it’s easy to turn an ankle – while looking out for the albatrosses or masked and blue-footed boobies, red-billed tropicbirds, swallow-tailed gulls, oystercatchers, mockingbirds and the curious but slightly annoying finches that will aggressively hop after you and your bottle of water trying to cadge a sip.
Surrounded by high cliffs and battered by the sea below, it’s worth at least a half-hour to simply sit with your feet over the edge, catching some of the spray from the blow holes below which shoot water up high into the air.
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| Variety |
What makes Espanola one of the best islands to visit is its variety. The sea lion colony at Gardner Bay is a refreshing change of scenery after the graceful and contemplative Punta Suarez. Sure the white-sand beach is beautiful and there are some excellent snorkelling opportunities offshore (there are white-tipped and hammerhead sharks), but a stroll along the beach here can even get the adrenaline pumping as you dodge the territorial bulls that weigh up to 250kg. They may look like they’re sleeping but be ready to make a run for it especially if you get too close to one of their young.
The island, the most southerly in the archipelago, is not usually visited by smaller boats so be sure to ask if it’s on the itinerary before booking. The best time to see the waved albatrosses is from late March to December.
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| See Galapagos Islands Overview for information on costs |
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