Today, we headed west to some of the youngest, largest and most volcanically active islands of the archipelago. On the island of Isabela, our first activity took place at Urbina Bay, where our guests could choose between a short or long hike. Both offered good opportunities for spotting wildlife, such as large land iguanas and the occasional giant tortoise. Land birds were also everywhere, including Darwin’s finches, Galápagos hawks, warblers, and Galápagos mockingbirds. We also saw waders and seabirds like penguins and unique flightless cormorants.
Another interesting feature of the area is the seismic uplift in 1954, which caused a 12-feet rise of the sea bottom over a five-mile area. During the action a great number of marine creatures such as sea turtles, sea urchins, lobsters, and sharks were left high and dry. We could see their remains as we walked on an inland trail recently colonized by vegetation of different sorts. A long distance from the water, we spotted coral beds with vegetation growing on them.
After a delicious Ecuadorian lunch and a siesta we prepared for the afternoon activities at another location on Isabela called Tagus Cove, once visited by naturalist Charles Darwin. Some guests started early, kayaking near tuff formations where penguins and cormorants were resting or nesting.
Other guests snorkeled off Zodiacs along the coastline. Here green sea turtles were abundant and incredibly friendly. Penguins also came very close as they followed small fish. Cormorants did the same. They were attracted to the snorkels and other items people had on. The cormorants played with these items, even trying to take them as materials for their nests. This session in the water was amazing.
The adventure continued for guests who hiked to a small elevation where they saw a saltwater lake that is twice as salty as the ocean and housed in an old crater mostly made of ash and surrounded by local vegetation. Other guests decided to take it easy with a Zodiac ride to look for animals that usually hang out on the rocks or swim close the shore, where it was possible to easily take pictures of them.
Behind us, the sun in the horizon announced the last rays of the day, a day that will stay in our memories for a long time. Another incredible day in the Galápagos!
