Area Size: 0.06 Km²
Maximum Altitude:  1.98 metres / 6.5 feet
Island Highlights:  Sea Lion, Lava Gull, Yellow Crowned Heron, White-Tipped Reef Shark

Introduction

Mosquera is a small coral islet situated between the islands of North Seymour and Baltra.  It is a low lying sand island which is home to the largest colony of sea lions in the archipelago. There is no nature trail as such, although there is a great expanse of open space, ideal for observing the sea lions and shorebirds such as herons and lava gulls, as well as sally lightfoot crabs and scorpions. You may also see brown pelicans here, blue-footed boobies and on rare occasions, yellow crowned herons.

Due to its close proximity to Baltra airport, Mosquera is often a first or last stop off destination in our Yacht Safari itineraries.  It is the ideal beach to wander around and soak up the surroundings as it has none of the typical restrictions that other islands impose.

Mosquera is also of high interest to divers and Aqua-Firma visits this site on both Galapagos Hotel Based Dive Trips and on some Dive Liveaboard itineraries. There are reefs along the edges of the island and some sand flats which are excellent for seeing rays and large colonies of garden eels which rise and fall depending upon how close you swim to them. There are regular sightings of sharks such as white tips here, turtles and amber jacks, and the possibility too of the odd hammerhead shark.

Whilst divers are not allowed to land on the island, you can observe a lot of the sea lion activity from a boat, including the structure of harems led by large dominant males.

Photographs kindly provided by Anele Waters, Ralph Pannell & Alexis Mackelworth

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