Isabela and Fernandina Islands
We visited the westernmost islands of the Galápagos today. We woke up and our ship was surrounded by the huge volcanoes of Isabela Island. This island is one of the youngest islands in the archipelago. As we sailed around the head of this so-called “seahorse” shaped island we were greatly surprised by Darwin volcano. This beautiful volcano is one of the five shield- shaped formations that made this island. Shield or inverted plate volcanoes are characteristic of volcanic oceanic islands.
As we got closer we could see the subsequent gentle basaltic lava flows that made the islands little by little over thousands or millions of years. With around 700,000 years of age Albemarle, the most common English name for Isabela, is considered a young island. Its age and enormous size made this island a particularly interesting environment. Different species that inhabit the place have become endemic iconic creatures to each of the volcanoes; therefore we can find five different subspecies of Galápagos giant tortoises, and a couple or few different species of land iguanas including the newly discovered pink land iguana.
The waters of the northern realms of the Galápagos have a characteristic green color. There are upwellings that are extremely rich in nutrients responsible for the abundance of marine species we found today in the area. Although the water was slightly cloudy, we were delighted to snorkel with at least a dozen Pacific green sea turtles and a couple of friendly Galápagos sea lions. Flightless cormorants where seen from the water ashore for they appeared being more interested to dry their wings under the sun than getting in the water with us.
Fernandina Island in the afternoon with its young lava flows has some of the most breathtaking landscapes of the archipelago. As we began our walk we talked about the islands’ ecosystem, which has not been affected by introduced large species so far. This paradisiacal place is considered within the two most pristine island ecosystems on the planet.
The marine iguanas around Punta Espinoza on Fernandina kept us busy taking pictures. Today they were particularly busy, most females where making nests all over the sandy areas; the attractive males were still courting them and displaying their beautiful colors. As we continued our walk we found a few flightless cormorants wanting desperately to cool down, they were fluttering their pouches and taking naps along the coastline of Punta Espinoza.
As we returned to National Geographic Islander with the sun slowly going down, we realized that the undisturbed vibrating power of Nature is by itself a matchless experience that we as humans have to take as a precious present from this magical place…
