Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos, with its sea horse shape acting as the spine in a chain of six volcanoes. It’s here where we spent the day for several activities, the first one at a location called Urbina Bay where our guests can chose between a short or long hike, both of which offer good opportunities to view wildlife like large land iguanas and occasionally also giant tortoises.
Land birds are also everywhere here, from Darwin’s finches, Galapagos hawks, warblers, and Galapagos mockingbirds, to some waders and sea birds like unique flightless cormorants and pelicans. Another interesting feature of the area is the 1954 uplift that caused the elevation of the marine bottom by 12 feet over an area of about five miles. During the action a great number of marine creatures like sea turtles, sea urchins, lobster, sharks and many more were left high and dry and can be seen as you walk through the inland trail recently colonized by vegetation of different sorts. A great area has large coral heads a distance from the water, and now vegetation grows on them.
After a delicious Ecuadorian lunch and a mandatory siesta, we prepared for afternoon activities at another location on Isabela called Tagus Cove, formerly visited by naturalist Charles Darwin. Some guests started early with kayaking along the shore of tuff formation regularly visited by sea birds like penguins and cormorants, resting or nesting.
This was followed by some people snorkeling off the Zodiacs along the coastline. Here green sea turtles are abundant and incredibly friendly, and penguins come very close as they follow small fish around. Cormorants do the same and sometimes are attracted to snorkelers and try to play or take items like snorkels to include as part of their nests. This session in the water was just amazing.
The adventure continued for some with a power hike to a small elevation from where you can see a saltwater lake in an old crater. It’s mostly made of ash and surrounded by local vegetation, and its water is twice as salty as the ocean’s. Some others just decided to take it easy and went on a Zodiac ride to look for the amazing animals that usually hang on the rocks and swim close the shore, where it’s possible to see and take pictures of them easily.
Behind us the sun on the horizon announced the last warming rays of the day, one of those days that will stay in our memories for a long time.
It was another incredible day in the Galapagos.
