Isabela is the largest island of the archipelago; it has the shape of a sea horse, and it’s formed by five active volcanoes. There is not enough time to discover the wonders of Isabela! This is our second day in this island and we are fascinated with all it offers.
We started our day in Urbina Bay. This is a very interesting area as in 1954 it uplifted from the sea. Now the fossils of sea worms and calcareous algae are found way inside on land, as well as heads of corals. The area got colonized by secondary vegetation that grew very fast and covered it all.
Galapagos land iguanas and giant tortoises wander on this area looking for food and nesting areas. We found several today.
After the hike a refreshing dive in the sea was mandatory. We swam and relaxed at the beach and then we came back on board for our next navigation towards Tagus Cove.
Tagus is a famous anchorage site. We find there graffiti left by the sailors that have come to the islands over hundreds of years. The oldest one dates from 1836, just one year after Darwin came. Tagus offers a beautiful area for kayaking and snorkeling and an amazing walk that ends with a beautiful view of the area: new lava fields with some vegetation, the forests of Palo Santo being painted by the sun colors, Darwin’s lake in the crater of one of the cones…Impressive view!
We could spend several more days in Isabela and still we will be amazed! But we have to continue discovering the archipelago so tomorrow we will leave to the eastern side…Goodbye flightless cormorants and Galapagos penguins! Goodbye Sea Horse Island!
