Today we woke up in the western most point of the Archipelago. Isabela Island was going to be our exploration goal, and the best way to begin our journey was to explore Canal Bolivar in order to witness marine mammals. Bottle-nosed dolphins were the first surprise of the day as they were bow-riding the National Geographic Endeavour II. As we anchored in Urbina Bay, we had everything ready for exploration.
A comfortable wet landing on a black sandy area was the perfect start, and as we got geared up, we had the trail waiting for us. The splendor of Urbina bay was revealed to our eyes from the very beginning. Galapagos mockingbirds were our companions throughout the visit as their callings were heard all over the place. The combination of saltbush, and black lava rocks played a symphony of colors distributed along the trail.
Once we reached the farthest point of the path, we witnessed giant coral heads of hundreds of years old as a revelation of the uplifting process that took place over 60 years ago. By exploring the internal trail, we had the charming opportunity to see the main attraction of the morning: Galapagos land iguanas. The biggest surprise of the morning was given by a giant tortoise that was found resting underneath the poison apple trees.
In the afternoon exploration just got better, and the best way to start was to discover what was found under water. Deep water snorkeling allowed us to witness the magic of the Galapagos Marine Reserve. Swimming Galapagos penguins, diving flightless cormorants, and reef fish of different species were part of the main attractions that got us awe-inspired underwater. The most impressive scenery of the place was revealed to our eyes during the afternoon hike.
Darwin Lake was the perfect landscape view as it is found inside an ancient tuff cone. At the end of the trail, the most spectacular view had Volcan Darwin as the main structure of the frame. At the same moment, a marvelous sunset was indicating that our journey was over today. However, tomorrow there will be more surprises on offer as we explore this mythical living paradise aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II.
