Today I was invited to go on the island of Malpelo along with the other member of our communications team, Thierry. There are 6 total Colombian Marine and Navy officers stationed on the island at all times and they were wonderful hosts to us.

There are two ways to reach land on Malpelo: this ladder, or the heliport. We did not have a helicopter…

After arriving on the ladder platform, we must hike up the steep island to the officer’s base.

Originally we should have had a 2 hour tour and returned to our vessel, but the weather had another plan for us. The sea was too rough to climb back down the ladder and after 3 attempts to descend, we ended up having the unique opportunity to stay overnight on Malpelo and await calmer waters. The island is inhabited by thousands of Alcatraz de Nazca birds, crabs and lizards.