It is day three of our expedition in the Galápagos, and after a night’s long navigation we have arrived into the western region, the most remote of the archipelago. The majestic silhouettes of the young volcanos of Fernandina and Isabela surrounded us… such a different landscape compared to just yesterday!
Fernandina is the westernmost island as well as the youngest, and it’s considered one of the most pristine islands on Earth. The pahoehoe lava flows that we walked on are evidence of its youth, and the island looks black and uninviting. However, Punta Espinosa, our visitor’s site this morning, is full of life, with one of the highest densities of marine iguanas in the archipelago.
In the afternoon we navigated northbound towards Punta Vicente Roca, on the Isabela coast. Punta Vicente Roca is part of the outer slopes of Ecuador Volcano, located in the north west of Isabela and named after the equator line that crosses it. The coastline here is inhabited by unique creatures like Galapagos penguins and fur seals, and it is a great foraging area for the native Eastern Pacific green sea turtle.
