The National Geographic Islander continued its voyage around the Galapagos Islands. This time it navigated to the western part of the archipelago.
During the morning we visited a place on the Island of Isabela called Punta Vicente Roca.
Here the landscape takes the word dramatic to a whole new level. Half of the volcano, which is named Ecuador, has collapsed giving an incredible view of what it looks like inside. The first thing we did when we arrived was to use the Zodiacs to explore the coast and find iguanas, cormorants, boobies and more. Also we used this same location for snorkeling. The water was chilly, but the rewards were worth it. Plenty of colourful fish, penguins, cormorants and sea lions entertained us this morning.
Once everyone came back to the ship we lifted the anchor and navigated to Fernandina Island. As we were moving we viewed up close a Blue whale that was feeding on a big group of small fish.
Eventually we arrived to the visitor site called Punta Espinoza. The name is given to this place because of the thousands of marine iguanas that can be found on the coast. As we arrived with the low tide, there were plenty of animals in the tidal pools, like sea turtles, iguanas, eagle rays and sting rays. We also found a species that is not always observed, the Flightless cormorant. This time they were breeding, so we could see some of the babies that are being protected by their parents. We could also see how the recent lava flows were formed and how this area is being colonized by pioneer species of plants, both fresh and sea water.
The day took us to the origin of the islands where strange creatures exist. The trip is just starting and we our amazing experiences have excited about what is yet in store.
