Española & San Cristobal

Landing at Espaola
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Española was my second-favorite island that we visited.  It was just gorgeous!  Within moments of our dry landing on rocks, we passed by many sea lions frolicking in the water.  The sun was so bright, and the water so clear, that I was just entranced.  The dry landing area is really neat because it is just a narrow strip of rock that you hop out onto - so to either side, you have iguanas silently sprawled on dark rocks, sea lions splashing around, and sally lightfoot crabs silently scrambling between shadows.  Immediately we crossed to a little beach and enjoyed watching a baby sea lion make its way to the water.  There were little lava lizards everywhere!

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Española is definitely a bird-lovers paradise.  We saw our first up-close blue footed boobies here - a mother with two fuzzy chicks, right off the path.  The nazca boobies (they are white with black around their eyes like a mask) were very plentiful here.  We saw many couples nesting and some just taking naps, not caring that a group of gawking tourists was passing close by.  I loved observing all the birds on the rocky cliffs while being able to hear the pounding surf at the same time.  It was spectacular to have such a view while seeing so many animals!  We even sat down near the edge of a cliff at one point, to observe the waves crash against the shore and make a "blowhole" from between the rocks.  I enjoyed how the iguanas and nazca boobie lived so close together and seemed to ignore each other.  We also saw finches and some circling hawks.

Española, where the boobies live

Blue footed boobies, one of my favorites
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Our second stop for the day was Baquerizo Moreno, San Cristobal.  This city is the capital of the Galapagos and has a population of about 5,000.  I loved the panga ride into the port - so many little boats bobbing in the water all over the place.  Some boats had sea lions sprawled on whatever free deck space they could find.  Once we were on land, we got directly onto a bus and were taken to Galapaguera de Cerro Colorado, a large area where tortoises can roam free.  The perimeter of the property is fenced, but within the area there is nothing between you and the tortoises.  This was a way to see them (a pool was built for them, which is a nice way to get them to gather in one spot for the tourists) without feeling like you are at a zoo.  We saw the youngest tortoises in a tightly fenced area to keep out the rats.  Until they are over 2 years old, they are in danger of getting eaten by rats!

A warm welcome to the island
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After we were bussed back to town, we were given some free time to explore.  It was weird to be in a town again after so much wilderness.  The waterfront was very cute.  We really enjoyed this little fountain that was actually a map of the islands.  We also appreciated the wood boardwalk lining the port, where we could walk and laugh at sea lions.  It seemed like a really nice, relaxing town.