We spent the last (full) day of our Galapagos cruise in Española. This island is mostly known for the local albatross colony – but there is so much more to see!

When landing at Punta Suarez, we were greeted not only by one, but by two sea lion colonies. In between, some "Christmas Iguanas" (red- and green-colored marine iguanas) were lazing on the warm rocks. We could hardly get enough of the wildlife. Especially the playful sea lion cubs were very cute.

After a while, though, we moved on towards the bird’s nesting grounds. Not only albatross, but also seagulls and Nazca boobies were nesting there. Again, there were some nests right next to the path, and the birds could not care less about us passing by. In a few albatros nests, we could even spot the egg it was breeding on.

Afterwards, the hike led us to a blow hole, where the roaring surf splashed against the rocks, throwing the sea water several meters high into the air.

In the afternoon, we went snorkeling and had a bit of beach time on the other side of the island, in Gardner Bay. During snorkeling, the usual shoals of fish and sporadically some sharks could be observed. On the beach, numerous sea lions were lazing in the sun. Again, the sea lion cubs were the biggest attraction.