Isabela and Fernandina Islands

At sunrise and after some 120 nautical miles, we reached Roca Redonda, a solitary rocky outcrop, remains of a once-great volcano, with hundreds of sea birds flying around it. As we circumnavigated this rock several times, we had the chance to spot several species of seabirds before we sailed off towards the north-western side of Isabela. Here the cold waters of the Equatorial counter current rise up along the western edge of the undersea Galápagos platform. At times this upwelling phenomenon can be responsible for thick sea fogs and remarkably cool sea temperatures, which occasionally drop as low as the mid-fifties Fahrenheit. These extraordinary conditions are also at the heart of a very rich marine ecosystem, at times attracting whales and dolphins to the region.

After breakfast, we crossed the equator line in the vicinity of Ecuador Volcano, to see a spectacular shield volcano on Isabela Island that is bisected by the Equatorial line. We learned about the geology of the place with Kitty Coley, our National Geographic geologist expert, who explained in detail the fantastic geological formations we were looking at.

Just after the crossing of the Equator, we had another very special guest that came aboard from the deep waters. It was King Neptune, who wasn’t so happy we entered his domain without permission, and therefore he needed some young victims to punish.

After King Neptune was finished, we arrived to Punta Vicente Roca at Isabela Island and went for a Zodiac ride along the cliffs of this spectacular volcanic formation to see fur seals, sea lions, flightless cormorants and dozens of sea turtles. Then we all came back on board to get ready for a second outing, this time for some snorkelling in the same area, where everybody enjoyed swimming with sea turtles and sea lions, despite the cold temperature of the water, 64F!

After lunch – a special Ecuadorian buffet– we sailed towards the youngest and most pristine island of the Galápagos, Fernandina. The imposing volcano, La Cumbre, rises to nearly 5,000 feet in elevation, and it is also one of the most active volcanoes in the world (having last erupted in April 2009). Its flanks are streaked with innumerable fresh lava flows, most of them still black and lifeless, and the coasts are lined with mangrove forests. Our landing started at 3:00 pm at Punta Espinosa. It was low tide, and we were able to observe marine iguanas feeding on the algae, as well as many sea turtles resting on the water ponds. Sea lions, baby marine iguanas, lava lizard, flightless cormorants, "pahoehoe" lava fields and lava cactus were found along the trails following the shoreline.

The skies were overcast and the air temperature was unusually cold, but the landscape, and wildlife, fantastic.