Isabela Island
What a great day we had. We arrived at the largest Island in the Galápagos, Isabela. Today we visited Puerto Villamil and its surrounding area. Our expedition began right after breakfast as we took some local pick up trucks to Sierra Negra volcano. There we started to walk through the very lush vegetation, a combination of ferns and different species of vegetation makes wonderful prop for a spectacular bird, the vermilion fly-catcher. You can see it here: bright red iridescent colored plumage stands out of the background and makes its finding a breathtaking experience.
We were all very happy to reach the summit of Sierra Negra and for some minutes the heavy blanket of garua fog lifted, letting us see the magnificent caldera floor reminding us that this volcano erupted just last year! If anyone ever asks us if we saw new lava, well, the answer is yes, it was right under our feet.
Meanwhile some of us decided to stay a bit more relaxed as we opted for a panga ride followed by a short walk. We were greeted by baby marine iguanas and an impressive volcanic landscape, we kept on walking and after a few minutes; there they were, many white-tipped reef sharks resting on the button of an enclosure, what a site.
Next it was back on board for lunch and sharing with friends our experiences. It's already early in the afternoon and we still have much more to see.
Our next disembarkation will take us for a visit to the national park and research station where all efforts for rearing the emblematic giant tortoise take place. We were marveled with the difference in size between the small babies and huge adults. Soon afterwards we take a stroll in town to meet up at the beachfront for some local cervezas and a very fun game of volley-ball.
We returned to the ship and attended our briefing. We had special guests from the town visiting us: they were some local children with a message of hope we will never forget.
This wonderful day has ended with a magnificent joy in our hearts. Our expedition still has many things to offer, but today makes us realize how different all the islands are… and we just can not wait for tomorrow.
What a great day we had. We arrived at the largest Island in the Galápagos, Isabela. Today we visited Puerto Villamil and its surrounding area. Our expedition began right after breakfast as we took some local pick up trucks to Sierra Negra volcano. There we started to walk through the very lush vegetation, a combination of ferns and different species of vegetation makes wonderful prop for a spectacular bird, the vermilion fly-catcher. You can see it here: bright red iridescent colored plumage stands out of the background and makes its finding a breathtaking experience.
We were all very happy to reach the summit of Sierra Negra and for some minutes the heavy blanket of garua fog lifted, letting us see the magnificent caldera floor reminding us that this volcano erupted just last year! If anyone ever asks us if we saw new lava, well, the answer is yes, it was right under our feet.
Meanwhile some of us decided to stay a bit more relaxed as we opted for a panga ride followed by a short walk. We were greeted by baby marine iguanas and an impressive volcanic landscape, we kept on walking and after a few minutes; there they were, many white-tipped reef sharks resting on the button of an enclosure, what a site.
Next it was back on board for lunch and sharing with friends our experiences. It's already early in the afternoon and we still have much more to see.
Our next disembarkation will take us for a visit to the national park and research station where all efforts for rearing the emblematic giant tortoise take place. We were marveled with the difference in size between the small babies and huge adults. Soon afterwards we take a stroll in town to meet up at the beachfront for some local cervezas and a very fun game of volley-ball.
We returned to the ship and attended our briefing. We had special guests from the town visiting us: they were some local children with a message of hope we will never forget.
This wonderful day has ended with a magnificent joy in our hearts. Our expedition still has many things to offer, but today makes us realize how different all the islands are… and we just can not wait for tomorrow.
