Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Punta Suárez
Espanola Island is a four million year-old formation at the far southeast of the Galápagos
archipelago.
Punta Suárez
is a point on its southern side absolutely packed with endemic
species walking right up to you, flying all over you or sunbathing on the rocks, completely
indifferent to you.
Upon disembarking on Suárez a mob of curious baby sea lions (the Jack Russells of the
Galapaos) will gather to greet you while their parents laze about on the sands. Long, waxy
marine iguanas that erupt in shades of red and turquoise during mating season (January to
March) catch sun on the jagged rocks, while Española Mockingbirds hop around your
feet, clicking their curved beaks at you while blue-eyed Galápagos Doves huddle nearby.
Giant Waved Albatrosses nest in Suárez' diverse grasslands from April to December when
they wait for strong winds to take them to colder waters (they are too heavy to fly without
one!) Red, masked and blue-footed boobies also have their own colonies on Suárez; you
might even tire of listening to the males' honking and whistling, a fanfare made to match
their famous ritual courting dance.
A looped trail takes you up the plateau's namesake point and along its craggy cliffs where
a blowhole bursts water into the air through a schism in the lava, then loops back over the
plateau and through a booby colony. This is a top cruise-stop but you can also go there on
a day tour that usually combines trips to Gardner Bay, a sparkling beach home to sea lions
at Española's northeast border.
