Punta Suárez
Birds and cliffs.
putneymark — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Andrew Turner from Washington, DC, United States — CC BY 2.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0
The southernmost of the Galápagos Islands and one of the oldest, formed about four million years ago, today a dry, low, rocky land. Yet it is famed for wildlife, above all the waved albatross: almost the whole world population nests here, so you see them on the rocks most of the year apart from a few months at its start. At Punta Suárez a rocky trail runs among nesting blue-footed and Nazca boobies and marine iguanas in reds and greens unlike any on other islands, to the cliffs where the big albatrosses take off. On the coast a blowhole shoots water high with every wave. Gardner Bay is a long beach of fine white sand where large groups of sea lions lie, with clear turquoise water and bold little birds that come close to visitors. It can only be visited by licensed boat with a national park guide, and operators price the trips. Most visitors arrive on multi-day cruises, as the island is far and the sea there can be rough.
Birds and cliffs.
Sea lions.
Spray with each wave.
Far south-east of the archipelago, Punta Suárez landing
Most of the year; they are away roughly from January to March, so pick a cruise visiting the island outside those months.