This was our first full day in Galapagos and we enjoyed it from sunrise to sunset, because we offered different adventurous activities: kayaking, deep water snorkeling, beach activities and hiking in two different locations on Espanola Island.
This Island does not have the typical shape of a Galapagos shield volcano and the reason is because it is the oldest Volcano and it has eroded a lot. As the Nazca tectonic plate moves towards South America continent, plus the natural phenomena of erosion such as wind, rain and wave action over a long period of time, they suffer a drastic geological change, forming very interesting and dramatic cliff formations, which are enjoyed by every one of our Galapagos visitors.
This archipelago has been colonized by animals and plants from outside this region. Over millions of years ago when they were introduced to this oceanic archipelago by chance, they were completely isolated from their own habitat. They were able to establish and adapt to very different ecological conditions from what they were used to.
Espanola is probably the best Island to see this natural phenomenon, where species have change from their original ancestors. During our activities we encountered species that live only on this Island and nowhere else on our planet, such as mocking birds, lava lizards, snakes, albatross, marine iguanas, doves, finches, gulls, boobies, pelicans and many other unique creatures.
This was just our first full day in paradise and we are so looking forward to more adventures. It was another beautiful and interesting day in the Galapagos and away from civilization.
