Our expedition brought us to the western side of Darwin’s archipelago as we circumnavigated the northern side of Isabela (the largest jewel in the crown). The titans, known as Ecuador and Wolf volcanoes, looked spectacular. It was as if they were irrigated by colorful lava fields, decorated with light and layers, which added to the beauty of this morning. After a delightful breakfast we crossed the equator line and celebrated with a special ceremony on the bow of the National Geographic Islander.
We soon dropped anchor at Punta Vicente Roca and headed by Zodiac along the coast of Isabela to spot several geological features which were signs of eruptions that occurred a long time ago. We saw blue footed boobies and frigate birds looking for food. We also spotted the largest bone fish in the world known as the “ocean sun fish”.
We headed back to the National Geographic Islander to get ready for a snorkeling outing. Our explorers found different species of fish, but probably the most interesting and abundant of all wildlife were the Pacific green sea turtles. It was so special to swim among these beautiful creatures. We also got to swim with flightless cormorants.
After lunch we had a dry landing and finally arrived at the black lava field where hundreds of marine iguanas warmed up under the sun and gathered close together to retain body heat. We also found sea lions, flightless cormorants nesting, and a couple chicks on a nest. These lava fields were spectacular and allowed us to imagine traveling back in time to enjoy the Galapagos without any human impact.
We had another spectacular day in Galapagos.
