Isabela and Fernandina Island
After one of the longest navigations of this trip on board the National Geographic Endeavour, we woke up and began our usual marine life observation in order to see dolphins and whales in the middle of the ocean. It was a fantastic sunrise; we saw the highest volcano, Wolf, where they have recently discovered the pink land iguana.
Later on in the morning, a Zodiac ride was embarked to explore the coast of Isabela Island. We spotted two of the endemic seabirds: the Galápagos penguin and the flightless cormorant. We also saw many marine iguanas grazing on intertidal seaweed, many Brown Noddy Terns along the walls of the cave of Pta. Vicente Roca. We also spotted the fins of giant mola molas, the ocean sunfish – a highlight for the morning.
Right after this awesome ride, we got our gear ready for the next amazing activity: deep water snorkeling. As soon as we got into the water, tens of thousands of fish, white salemas, surrounded us, while sea turtles rested at the sea floor.
Once we were done snorkeling, it was time to enjoy the delicious Ecuadorian specialties at the buffet lunch. At 15:00 hours, we had a dry landing at Pta. Espinoza of Fernandina Island, which offers a perfect combination between young lava and nature. We got to see the smooth pahoehoe lava flow and also an irregular one called “AA” – both dotted with the endemic lava cactus, a cute decoration. The place was full of marine iguanas. On our way back to National Geographic Endeavour, we enjoyed the very nice landscape of La Cumbre volcano as we were leaving the island behind.
