Southern Isabela Island
After a rock and roll crossing from Fernandina to Puerto Villamil, we anchored just before breakfast. Today we had a full and busy day with lots of options and alternatives, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Celso and Lola led a small group of “volcano hikers” to the rim of Volcan Sierra Negra and down to a small cinder cone, Volcan Chico, which erupted in November of 1979. It was a long, arduous hike but we had cloud cover for much of the morning, incredible views into the huge caldera of Sierra Negra and a real feeling, both of privilege to have had the opportunity to hike in such a wild and magical place and of accomplishment in being physically able to do so!
The majority of us spent the day in and around Villamil (main dock of the town pictured here). We visited the Charles Darwin Research Station facilities where giant tortoises are being bred and raised in captivity. There were tortoises of all sizes and ages and we observed several behaviours: feeding, aggressive interactions and even mating! The young tortoises are kept and cared for until they are several years old and then they are repatriated to the populations from which they came. The populations of giant tortoises of Southern Isabela, from the volcanoes of Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul, are small due to human exploitation and competition and predation from introduced animals, but the breeding project has been quite successful and hundreds of tortoises have been returned to the wild.
Following our visit to the CDRS we walked out on a board walk, learning about several species of endemic plants and viewing a lone flamingo and several species of shorebirds on the way. During the remainder of the day we were free to explore on our own or take an organized walk. Some spent time at Beto’s Bar and swimming off the expansive white sand beach. Though there were not many shops in town, a few of us found things to buy. Lynn led a group to the “Wall of Tears,” an impressive structure built by prisoners about 60 years ago. Ramiro took others on a short walk through a jagged lava field and across a tiny islet to visit a lagoon called “Tintoreras” after the white-tipped reef sharks that rest there in the shallows.
We ended our day at a thatched hut restaurant called La Choza where we had cold beer and seafood ceviche. I imagine the beer tasted especially good to the volcano hikers – though it was not the first cold beer they had enjoyed today. I sent coolers of beer and soft drinks in the taxis that picked them up after their hike. The day had begun cloudy and cool, but by afternoon we could certainly tell we were on the equator. Cool ocean swims and cold beer, a hot but spectacular hike to the rim of a volcano, boardwalks and baby tortoises, we each take home different memories of this day in the sleepy fishing town of Villamil. Many of us will particularly remember the evening presentation by several charming local children who belong to the “Amigos de las Tortugas” club. We wish them the best in their efforts to conserve these slow moving reptiles.
After a rock and roll crossing from Fernandina to Puerto Villamil, we anchored just before breakfast. Today we had a full and busy day with lots of options and alternatives, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Celso and Lola led a small group of “volcano hikers” to the rim of Volcan Sierra Negra and down to a small cinder cone, Volcan Chico, which erupted in November of 1979. It was a long, arduous hike but we had cloud cover for much of the morning, incredible views into the huge caldera of Sierra Negra and a real feeling, both of privilege to have had the opportunity to hike in such a wild and magical place and of accomplishment in being physically able to do so!
The majority of us spent the day in and around Villamil (main dock of the town pictured here). We visited the Charles Darwin Research Station facilities where giant tortoises are being bred and raised in captivity. There were tortoises of all sizes and ages and we observed several behaviours: feeding, aggressive interactions and even mating! The young tortoises are kept and cared for until they are several years old and then they are repatriated to the populations from which they came. The populations of giant tortoises of Southern Isabela, from the volcanoes of Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul, are small due to human exploitation and competition and predation from introduced animals, but the breeding project has been quite successful and hundreds of tortoises have been returned to the wild.
Following our visit to the CDRS we walked out on a board walk, learning about several species of endemic plants and viewing a lone flamingo and several species of shorebirds on the way. During the remainder of the day we were free to explore on our own or take an organized walk. Some spent time at Beto’s Bar and swimming off the expansive white sand beach. Though there were not many shops in town, a few of us found things to buy. Lynn led a group to the “Wall of Tears,” an impressive structure built by prisoners about 60 years ago. Ramiro took others on a short walk through a jagged lava field and across a tiny islet to visit a lagoon called “Tintoreras” after the white-tipped reef sharks that rest there in the shallows.
We ended our day at a thatched hut restaurant called La Choza where we had cold beer and seafood ceviche. I imagine the beer tasted especially good to the volcano hikers – though it was not the first cold beer they had enjoyed today. I sent coolers of beer and soft drinks in the taxis that picked them up after their hike. The day had begun cloudy and cool, but by afternoon we could certainly tell we were on the equator. Cool ocean swims and cold beer, a hot but spectacular hike to the rim of a volcano, boardwalks and baby tortoises, we each take home different memories of this day in the sleepy fishing town of Villamil. Many of us will particularly remember the evening presentation by several charming local children who belong to the “Amigos de las Tortugas” club. We wish them the best in their efforts to conserve these slow moving reptiles.
