Land of the Iguanas: Punta Suarez, Espanola Island

Welcome to Espanola Island, which happens to be my favorite spot in the Galapagos.

Our day is split between exploring two areas of the island: Punta Suarez in the morning and Gardner Bay in the afternoon.

While we initially grumble about the 6:15am wake-up call, it ends up being a wise decision: we are the first tourist group to dock on the island at 7am, and the entire place is ours.

Well, not entirely ours — apparently the sea lions like to sleep in. We literally step over them and they pay us no attention.

You can see the other tourist ships in the distance. It’s about thirty minutes before the next group arrives and we savor the quiet time.

While sea lions are ubiquitous in the Galapagos, this is our first time encountering iguanas. LOTS of iguanas.

Their skin color and texture is fascinating.

This guy’s copping a feel. “Put your camera down, pervert. She’s mine.”

Of course the sea lions hang out everywhere. Since our group is relatively new to the Galapagos, we haven’t tired of these adorable creatures yet. Ask us again in a few days.

Babies!

Our guide explains that this poor fella was probably attacked by a shark, as they prey on the sea lion population. He’s recuperating safely on land for now.

Me with a sea lion pup.

Two Galapagos Hawks stand watch over the bay.

We hike to a nearby blowhole and perch eagerly with our cameras, waiting for the next blast. The blowhole is created by an underground lava tube (similar to the dry lava tubes we hiked through in Santa Cruz and Floreana).

The cliffs of Espanola are mesmerizing. Like something out of Ireland or the Channel Islands.

At long last, a Blue-footed Boobie! These awkwardly-named aviary creatures are emblematic of the Galapagos.

Here are some Masked Boobies, cousins of the Blue-footed Boobies. They might be less colorful but they conjure up exciting images of danger and fighting crime.

And a pair of Swallow-tailed Gulls.

This is a baby Waved Albatross.

And the Red-billed Tropicbird in flight:

This is the Hood Mockingbird, which is sometimes also referred to as the Espanola Mockingbird. They are quite friendly and (like the sea lions) desensitized to tourists.

Speaking of sea lions, here are a few more fun shots as we hike back towards our starting point:

I can see why people might refer to them as “dogs of the sea.”

This pup cozies up next to an iguana.

And a few final iguana shots for good measure.

There are Land Iguanas and Marine Iguanas. Guess which category this guy falls into.

Check back for an upcoming post about underwater life in the Galapagos. I went snorkeling with Marine Iguanas and got to see them in action under the sea. Photos coming soon!

We circle back to the beach where we started.