Known in English as Hood Island, Isla Espanola is the southernmost part of the Galapagos.The Zodiac will glide into a protected cove, and if we're lucky, sea lions will be bodysurfing in the waves and swimming around the boat to welcome us. On our last trip, one small pup was not happy to see us but lost interest and swam away after a lot of barking and posturing.

The terrain across the island is highly diverse. The hike will begin on the jetty, where the immediate terrain is low, flat savannah, slightly sloping up from the shore, with low grasses and plants and sandy beaches dotted with smooth rocks. You will be amazed at the colorful sally lightfoot crabs and sunning marine iguanas covering the rocks. The trail slowly is rockier toward the ocean side of the island, where enormous waves crash huge cliffs.

On Isla Espanola, blue-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos hawks, and warbler finches are only a few of the birds we will encounter; the island also is home to the waved albatross. These birds can weigh as much as 40 pounds and are fantastic flyers. Their crash landings, however, are less than graceful--they come down like bags of soggy clothes thrown hard across the meadow. Farther around the island is its famous blowhole. The basalt rock at the sea edge has cracked, creating a fissure that, at high tide, fills with pressurized seawater. The resulting geyser can reach 75 feet in the air. Photo opportunities here are outstanding.

For the remainder of the trip, we will sample the finest of the Galapagos. Below is the approximate itinerary, which varies depending on weather, season, and marine conditions.