Española Island cruises

About the island

Española Island

Española, known in English as Hood Island, is the oldest and most southeasterly island of the Galápagos, and for many travelers the highlight of the whole trip. Almost the entire world population of waved albatrosses comes here to breed, and its blue-footed and Nazca boobies, sea lions and endemic wildlife live with no fear of people.

Around four million years old, Española is a single extinct shield volcano worn down by time: low and flat, about 60 square kilometers (23 square miles), and only 206 meters (676 feet) at its highest point. It has no human residents, and it lies far enough from the central islands that it is usually reached after a night of navigation.

On our cruises Española is part of the southern and eastern routes, most often combined with Floreana, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe and South Plaza, on itineraries of four to eight days that start in Baltra or San Cristóbal. Two visitor sites are open. Suarez Point is a dry landing onto black lava and a rocky trail of two to three hours past nesting boobies, marine iguanas and the albatross colony, to cliffs where a blowhole throws sea spray high into the air. Gardner Bay is a wet landing on a long white beach shared with sea lions, with snorkeling nearby at Gardner Islet and Osborn Islet.

The waved albatrosses are on the island from April to December, when the pairs perform their famous courtship dance of bill-fencing and bowing; from January to March the colony is empty. The marine iguanas of Española are the most colorful in the archipelago, red and green in the breeding season, and the Española mockingbird and lava lizard are found nowhere else. Swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropicbirds and Galápagos hawks complete the picture, and green sea turtles nest on the beaches from January to March.

Española is also a conservation success story. Its giant tortoises were reduced to just 14 animals in the 1960s; bred in captivity on Santa Cruz, some 2,000 young tortoises have since been returned to the island, and the goats that destroyed its vegetation were removed in 1978. The visit suits anyone who enjoys birds and photography. The Suarez Point trail crosses uneven rocks, so good shoes and a steady step are needed, while Gardner Bay is an easy beach visit.

Fast facts

• Almost the entire world population of waved albatrosses breeds on Española, from April to December.
• At about four million years old, Española is one of the oldest islands in the Galápagos.
• Its giant tortoises recovered from only 14 animals in the 1960s thanks to captive breeding.