Reset search
Satellite
Search this area

Ecuador Punta Suárez

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Travelers at this place
  • TravelerEcuador - Ein Traum geht in Er
    1
    Day 24

    Española

    December 7, 2019 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Heute waren wir auf Española. Wandern und Schnorcheln. Ich bin mittlerweile in dem Rhythmus der gleichbleibenden Abläufe. Aber auch wenn die täglichen Abläufe gleich bleiben, sind die Inseln selbst sehr unterschiedlich. Jede hat irgendwo eine andere Charakteristik. Man merkt, dass wir hier im südöstlichen Teil des Archipels sind. Hier sind die Auswirkungen des Humboldt Stroms viel stärker. Das heißt, dass das Wasser kühler ist als im nördlichen Teil. Wenn ich Vormittags nach dem Schnorcheln aus dem Wasser komme, habe ich die Befürchtung, dass ich nie wieder warm werde. Bei der Wanderung am Nachmittag ist es dann wieder so heiß, dass ich liebend gerne wieder ins Wasser möchte. Es gab wieder sehr viele Seehunde und Iguanas zu beobachten. Es ist so schön zu beobachten, wie verspielt die Seehunde teilweise sind. Dieser Tag war ein sehr schönes Geburtstagsgeschenk an mich selbst 😇😎Read more

    See translation
  • TravelerKiwi & Coconut Chronicles
    3
    Day 9

    Prince of the Clouds

    November 13, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Today we arrived at Isla Española, and despite the intense heat, we set off on a two-and-a-half-hour walk under the blazing sun. Every step was worth it though, as we caught sight of the elusive albatross, often called the Prince of the Clouds (originally by Charles Pierre Baudelaire). This majestic title is rooted in the albatross’s remarkable ability to glide over vast distances with almost no effort, riding air currents above the ocean for hours without flapping its wings. With wingspans that can reach over three meters, they use the power of the wind to navigate with a grace that few other birds can match, appearing like royalty in the sky.

    Our walk also brought us close to some familiar Galapagos residents: the nazca boobies, with their striking black and white feathers and curious gazes. Near the shore, young sea lion pups were playing in the shallows, taking some of their first clumsy dips in the water. Watching them was pure joy - they flopped and splashed around, getting a feel for the waves and their own weight.

    This afternoon, we’re in for more exploration: snorkeling and walking along different beaches on Isla Española. I can’t wait to dive in and see what other wonders the island has in store.    Read more

  • TravelerNairo2Rio - Around The World
    2
    Day 341–344

    Galapagos (II) - Cruising Around

    September 18, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    For the next 3.5 days, I joined a cruise that would take me to some of the more remote parts of the Galapagos - namely Isla Española and Isla Floreana before dropping me off at the other main island, Santa Cruz.

    Once on board, we got a briefing about the first day, had lunch and then headed to our first spot - Isla de Lobos Marinos (island of the sea lions). We quickly changed into our wetsuits; jumped into the not so warm water and explored the underwater life. We spotted some sea lions playing in the water and quickly swam towards them. Upon spotting us, they swam over and we played together in the water - well, mainly them showing off their skills while we tried to keep up with their constant spinning and turning. It was really fun.

    In the afternoon, we then stepped foot on the island to spot some of the most interesting birds. For years, I wanted to see the blue-footed boobies and on that excursion we saw loads of them up close. Normally, I am not a bird person, but they look incredibly pretty. We also spotted some Fregates and of course some more sea lions and Iguanas lazing around.

    That night, when we set sail to Isla Espanola, the sea was again a bit choppy, but fortunately I did manage to fall asleep quickly. Others on the boat were apparently not so lucky.

    The next day, we made landfall on Isla Española in the morning to see the largest albatrosses in the world, as well as the Nazcar Boobies and some blowholes by the coast.
    In the afternoon, after an uneventful snorkelling gig, we went to what is dubbed the third most beautiful beach in the world, Gardner Bay. It was cloudy, unfortunately, so the colours of the water and white long beach didn't quite come out as nicely, but the place was nonetheless incredibly gorgeous and I could fully see why it is among the top beaches in the world. We walked to both sides of it, took some great snaps with sea lions - of course - and just enjoyed our time in this amazing place.

    On our last full day at sea, we drove to Isla Floreana overnight, and stopped at Post Office Bay in the morning. Its name derives from an old post office - basically just an old barrel on a stick - that pirates, whalers and other sailors used to stay in touch with home.
    Basically, you write a postcard, place it in the barrel and hope that someone else who lives close to where the postcard is to be delivered, picks it up and delivers it to the recipient. That is what we did and by the time of writing this, my parents told me that they actually received my postcard.

    Afterwards, we went on one last snorkelling trip with the highlight of it being seal lions that played with us again and one that even kissed my GoPro. For our last landing, we went to see the Galapagos Flamingos at Cormorant Point, which is also one of the very few beaches in the world that has some green sand - not much, though, and it's more of a black than a green beach.

    Anyway, that evening was our last dinner together and the crew said a heartfelt goodbye.

    The following morning, we arrived at Santa Cruz, disembarked and went to the Charles Darwin Research Centre, where we spotted the famous Giant Galapagos Turtles.

    At the end of this cruise, I was very happy with my time at Galapagos. I have so far seen: pretty much all animals that I wanted (except the Hammerhead, Galapagos shark and yellow land Iguana) and met some nice people on the cruise, who are also on around-the-world trips.

    The cruise itself was something I really enjoyed, as it took us to some more remote places, some cool snorkelling spots and allowed me to see Galapagos from a different perspective. Most of the time when we went snorkelling or did landings on the islands, we had it all to ourselves. And with a small group of just 11 people, it was the perfect size and allowed us to spend lots of time with the animals and get really close to them. I can only highly recommend doing it this way!    Read more

  • TravelerSophie's Trip
    Day 593

    Galapagos- Española Island

    July 27, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Each day on the yacht would follow a similar pattern, we'd be up and ready for breakfast at around 7:30 am, and then ready to leave the boat at 8:00. We'd head off for a "wet landing", which basically means getting your feet wet, to explore the island a little. We'd be back on the boat for some tea and snacks a couple of hours later and then kitted up and ready to go snorkelling by 11:00. We'd spend around an hour in the water, which is more than enough in these cold waters, before heading back to the boat for a well deserved lunch. We would then be allowed to rest for a couple of hours, I'd usually go and chill on the deck at this point. Sometimes the boat would move to a new location during this period in which case we'd often have frigate birds circling the boat. Then we'd go back out for a "dry landing" at around 15:00, where we'd explore the interior or the island a bit more. Back on the boat a couple of hours later, we'd have another free hour or so before dinner around 6 ish. After dinner we were given a brief from the guide about the next day, after which he always advised us to go to bed early because of the long day. Although they probably just wanted us to go to bed so we'd be out of the crew's hair, they were right we were pretty exhauted after the full days of activities! After dinner around 8pm, the captain would set sail and we'd be off again, usually sailing until around 2am so that we were in a new location for the morning.

    On our first morning we had arrived at Española Island. Our wet landing took us to a beautiful white sand beach, where we could see many species of bird, more marine iguanas, and some characterful sea lions hanging around with a whale carcass. We were given the option for some swimming, but the sun had disappeared that day and i didn't fancy the cold water! Later that mornig we went snorkelling around some rocks, the water was pretty deep and rough but i still loved it as always. There were loads of colourful fish, starfish, interesting coral, and a snoozing turtle. But i was glad to get out of the water after, despite the wet suit!

    In the afternoon we visited the only Albatross colony in the Galapagos. Albatrosses are one of the largest sea birds, with a wingspan of 2.5 - 3.5 metres. A pair mate for several years and are quite sweet as they do their ritual dances of tapping their beaks together. There were lots of chicks when we were there which was great to see. There were also other sea birds and their chicks, such as the blue footed booby and the nazca booby. Once again there were loads of marine iguanas on this island too. But due to the unique way that wildlife has evolved on the Galapagos, each island has its own species. Española island is the only island where the marine iguanas have red patches on their skin. Aside from the wildlife, the scenery was also stunning to see. Even though the sun was well hidden, the cliffs were dramatic and the power of the ocean was fierce. There were a couple of blow holes on the coast, the most impressive one you could hear roaring away for ages before you could actually see it. Done for the day, we headed back to the boat for some excellent food before getting some rest for the next day.    Read more

  • TravelerAround the World: Honeymoon
    Day 63

    Galápagos: Day 2

    October 1, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Today our time was spent on Española. The island is uninhabited by humans and teeming with wildlife.

    Our first stop was the beach near Gardner's Bay. The ride over to the beach seemed bleak to start with, very cold and rainy. However, not long after being on the beach, the sun started to peak through the clouds and things warmed up. The sand was white and the water was very turquoise nearer to the shore. We walked up and down the beach seeing lots of wildlife. We saw seals, but not as many as yesterday. We saw a ton of iguanas, the big black ones, and some lava lizards which are tan and red.

    Yazmany, our guide, is teaching us how to distinguish between male and female. Males for most species are more ornate, except the lava lizards; the females have a red face and the males are plain.

    We also saw a lot of crabs, black when babies or small and red when bigger and older. An interesting thing we saw were mockingbirds fighting over a dead crab! Apparently they don't normally eat crab, but they kept fighting over it!

    After our morning at the beach we got wetsuits on and went snorkeling near a smaller island nearby. We saw a lot of Dory fish as well as a few sea turtles and sea lions. We also saw a scorpion fish hiding on a rock. My favorite fish we saw was the purple fish with an orange tail. I also found a 'chocolate chip' starfish. It was yellow with black dots. All this before lunchtime!

    We had quick showers after snorkeling and before lunch. After lunch we had a bit of downtime before our walk to Suarez Point.

    It was a rocky, slow walk, but slow only because of all of the interesting things. Again, we saw a lot of iguanas and lava lizards, but on this island there were special birds only found here. Most notably, the albatross and the Nazca booby are on this island. There were a lot of albatross scattered around the island as well as their babies. Sadly, we did see an abandoned egg, but also saw some albatross take their first flights! The albatross fly from here to Peru at the end of December for a few months before returning to nest at the end of April. Another interesting thing we saw with albatross was a love dance: two albatross with tapping beaks and making noises (and it appeared to be a love triangle/affair!).

    We got to see the Nazca boobies. This is the only island where you can see them so it was really special. They have bright yellow eyes and are just beautiful birds. We saw one incubating an egg! As well as Nazca boobies we saw some blue footed boobies. Their feet are so blue! I mean, I guess that's why they have that name, but they are still so blue! We were also lucky enough to see a few hawks.

    At Suarez Point there's the blow hole where when a wave comes in, it sprays through a crack in the rocks and looks like the blowhole of a whale! Allan insisted on staying back to get photos of a big blow. It was a great wee walk 😄.

    When we got back on board, there was juice and empanadas to snack on before dinner. We also came back to find a small surprise in our room: two swans made of towels with little rose petals, chocolates, and balloons. It was very cute 🌹.

    We had our briefing for Floreana island tomorrow and a cocktail making class. Rikki, the bartender, taught us how to make a mojito. He asked for a volunteer to make one after his demonstration, and nobody volunteered, so I did (but it felt like cheating as I've made many a mojito in my bartending days). However, I got to keep the drink I made and mojitos are Allan’s favourite cocktail, so that was a plus after making it in front of everyone.

    Dinner was really great again. We had salad, chicken and tomato sauce or tuna and teriyaki sauce with mushroom rice and cauliflower. For dessert there was another surprise. The chef made a special cake for Allan and I. It definitely was not store bought and was the cutest thing and very thoughtful. It was a chocolate cake with a whipped cream frosting. Super delicious and I definitely would've had another slice if it wouldn't make me look like a little pig.

    We began a documentary about the dark past of Floreana island after dinner, but Allan and I were both falling asleep (annoyingly because it was very interesting!) so we headed down to our room before it finished. Hopefully someone can get us caught up tomorrow! Tomorrow is going to be a lot of water sports, fingers crossed there is no sunburn!    Read more

  • TravelerEcuador und Galapagos
    Day 18

    Tag 18

    March 13, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Erst mal geniessen wir das Sonnendeck des Schiffes, die nächtliche Fahrt zur Insel Española war recht unruhig. Der Schnorchelausflug an der Gardner Bucht war toll. Am Nachmittag war Kayak fahren auf dem Programm, war auch schön, und fürs erste Mal war ich gar nicht so ungeschickt. Ein schöner Abend rundet den heutigen Tag ab. Das Küchenpersonal bemüht sich stets, uns spezielle Essen aufzutischenRead more

    See translation
  • TravelerThe Galapagos Islands
    Day 4

    Espinola - Punta Suarez & Gardner Bay

    November 12, 2019 in Ecuador ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Morning hike over rocky terrain in Punta Suarez. Greeted by an abundant population of seaions and iguanas throughout our path. Saw albatross (on their runway), blue footed boobies, all the Islas finches, blowhole and more. BBQ lunch on deck - made Ecuadorian ceviche!
    Afternoon snorkeling with a sealion briefly, then beach walk.    Read more

  • Jacalyn BishopThe Galapagos with Kids
    Day 3

    Espanola Island & Gardner Bay

    July 1, 2019 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    It turns out that if the time on your phone doesn't change correctly and, even if you remind yourself before you go to bed that that is the case, you are still likely to wake up at the wrong time! Lucky for me, this was an hour earlier than I intended. So, up at 5:45 for me after a night of pretty impressive rocking (of the boat variety!) I went up to the sun deck and found a fellow passenger to chat with and then went to the lounge for coffee and a snack. They always have food out in the lounge - fruit, cakes, crackers /cheese, and a wonderful coffee machine! Got a chance to get to know our program coordinator (lead naturalist) Gabby who was there as well. I went to a 1/2 hour 7am stretch class on the sun deck with one other guest and it was a really nice class - my speed - short, not strenuous and relaxing!
    Breakfast at 8:30am with Ken and the kids and then off to get on our wetsuits and grab snorkeling equipment. We took zodiac's to a deep area near the island and our group jumped off. It was COLD! 70.5 degrees. My wetsuit definitely helped. Cooper and Addey only have shorties so definitely colder for them. They did great though. We got to see angel fish, sea urchins, sea stars and, best of all, got to snorkel right around playful sea lions.
    We stopped back at the ship to drop off the snorkel gear and headed back to Espanola Island (also known as Hood Island) to enjoy an incredible beach/coastline. The sand was fine, the water incredibly teal and the sea lions adorable. We only had about 30 minutes to enjoy and wish we had alot more!
    At 12 we were back on the boat for lunch (an Ecuadorian buffet). All the young explorers on the boat (aka kids) got a tour of the bridge after lunch and then the resident photographer /naturalist gave a talk, to anyone interested, on photo composition - good for Jace.
    The boat was quite rocky in the afternoon which caused Jace and I to have very mild queasiness, but this quickly resolved with an afternoon excursion to the other side of the island at Punta Suarez. We had a near 2 mile hike over very rocky terrain but the views were stunning and we saw great stuff - brown pelicans, many marine iguanas (ugly things!), lava lizards, sea lions (of course), Galapagos doves, mockingbirds, blue footed boobies and, our favorite, the wave albatross now in mating season and performing their courtship dance.
    Per national park restrictions, nobody is allowed on the islands after 6pm so back to the boat we went (though I could have spent many more hours there taking pictures).
    We had a pre-dinner drink/appetizer with the guests in the lounge and listened to tomorrow's agenda. Dinner tonight was with a couple from Indiana. Jace and Cooper have made fast friends with a boy from Phoenix and Addey sat with a bunch of kids and was in her element!
    One cute thing from today: at lunch, the bartender found us in dining room and asked if Addey was ours. When we said yes, he said 'congratulations, she is wonderful' Apparently, she went up to the 'bar' to get a soda and he said 'how are you? '. She replied :'estoy feliz y tu?' he said 'you speak spanish??? And of course, she replied' un poquito'. He was very impressed! We are encouraging them to try speaking Spanish whenever they can. Apparently, she listened. 😊
    Now 10pm and off to a very swaying sleep...    Read more

  • TravelerSüdamerika
    Day 13

    Tag 13: Galapagos - Espanola Island

    October 22, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    D‘Nacht hüt währed em Segle isch wiedermal maximal Schwankig gsi. Wo mer am Morge am 6:30 hend welle go zmörgele, isches dusse au immerno so wulchig gsi, mer hett gar kei Lust gha zum ihn Tag starte. Trotzdem simmer am halbi 8i mit de Dinghys ufd Española Insle. Am Strand Punta Suarez hets scho tausend Seeleue mit ihrne Babys gha. Uf de Wanderig hemmer na paar Meeresiguanas, Albatrossen und generell viel Vögel gseh, was üse Vogelfan sehr greud het. Zrugg an Board hets en chliine Powernap und Lunch geh. Denn simmer zu üsem letzte Tauchgang gfahre. S‘Wasser isch arschchalt gsi und viel hemmer nid gseh. Defür hemmer immer ih so Höhlene chöne inetauche. Denn simmerna ahnen schöne Strand Gardener Bay gfahre zum chlli chille. Aber ah dem Strand sind 3 toti Seeleue glege und ganz viel Flüüge. Also nid sehr iihladend. Nacher simmer wieder 4h gsegled richtig Insle Santa Cruz. Das heisst es wird ih de Nacht nid gsegled und das find ich super! Uf de Znacht hend sich alli Crewmitglieder wieder richtig schön useputzt und es het en Abschiedsdrink geh. Zum Znacht hetts Hamburger geh und für mich eh feini gfüllti Aubergine jnd zum Dessert en Chueche. De Choch staht gfühlt amel de ganz Tag ih de Chuchi zum eus das Esse chene ahnezaubere. Am Abig hemmer no dörfe is Städli vo de Insle Santa Cruz. Mir sind chli umegloffe und s‘ältere dänische Ehepaar het üs allne na es Bier spendiert. Alles ih allem en seehr glungene Abig gsi und en perfekte Abschluss für die wunderbari Reis!Read more

    See translation
  • TravelerExploring the Americas
    Day 31

    Galapagos Cruise III: Española

    September 10, 2022 in Ecuador ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Next up: Española. The only island you can only visit with a tour and not independently. The morning was spent at Gardner Bay with a small boat ride into a cave and snorkeling from the beach (meeting the usual suspects, turtle, shark, rays).
    The afternoon was quite spectacular: A hike at Suarez Point, amongst others famous as the breeding ground for albatrosses. Not only did we see tons of albatrosses in the air, we also saw very young chicks as well as small ones trying to lift off into the air (not always successful) and doing their mating dances.
    As on every island, sea lions with cute cubs, boobies (these times "masked" boobies - by the way, booby means foolish, as they were not afraid of humans when the first settlers came and simply caught them by hand). Also, we saw a humpback whale from the shore.
    Overall, a spectacular day and the highlight of our cruise!    Read more

Join us:

FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android

  • 2025© FindPenguins
  • Home
  • About us
  • Group Tracking
  • Press
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy & Cookies
  • Help Center
  • Legal notice