Gardner Bay, Española

Gardner Bay at a glance

1. 1

   Española — Gardner Bay

   Gardner Bay is a long white beach on the north-east coast of Española, visited by wet landing from a cruise. There is no trail — you walk the sand. A sea lion colony rests along it, and the snorkelling off the nearby islets is among the best in the archipelago.

How you get there

On a cruise

The only way. Española is uninhabited and too far south for day boats from the ports. It appears on most southern itineraries, usually paired with Punta Suárez the same day.

It sits on Española, so how you reach the island decides how you reach this.

What you actually see

The colony

Sea lions strung along the beach, pups included, entirely uninterested in you. Because there is no marked path, keeping distance is on you rather than on the route.

The snorkel off the islets

Deeper, clearer and richer than the beach: schooling fish, turtles, rays, and sea lions that come to play. This is often the best water of a southern itinerary.

The mockingbirds

The Española mockingbird lives only here and it is bold to the point of rudeness. It will land on a bag. It is also the bird that started Darwin thinking, and it is worth knowing that while it stands on your rucksack.

What goes wrong

We run these trips, so we know what people complain about afterwards. Better to read it here than find out on the day.

The two-metre rule with no path

On a beach with animals spread across it, the rule is entirely on the visitor. This is where guides spend most of their morning asking people to step back.

The sun on white sand

Reflected light off that beach burns people who thought they were fine. No shade, nowhere to retreat.

Snorkelling is conditions-dependent

The islets are exposed. When the swell is up, the water part gets cut and the beach is all you get.

Who this is not for

Saying this costs us bookings and saves the trip. If any of these is you, tell us and we will build the day differently.

• Anyone who cannot manage a wet landing from a dinghy into surf.
• Visitors who need shade or facilities — there is nothing at all.
• People who want a walking trail. There is no path here by design.

What lives here

• Galápagos sea lion — A large resting colony along the whole beach.
• Española mockingbird — Endemic to this island alone, and fearless.
• Green sea turtle — In the water off the islets.
• Marine iguana — The Española race is the most colourful in the archipelago.

Nearby

Every visitor site we have written up → · Española, the whole island →