From the National Geographic Endeavour in Galápagos, 2/1/2011, National Geographic Endeavour

Today we disembarked at Urbina Bay, which is located on the southwest side of Isabela Island, at the bottom of Alcedo Volcano. This site was uplifted about two square kilometers around and twelve feet up. Urbina is one of the most interesting places to visit on Isabela, with stranded shells, rocks with many different types of mollusks and an amazing brain coral reef formation. This reef was studied by the California Academy of Sciences; they were able to determine the age of the coral and also calculated how many times El Niño has taken place here.

 

We had both long and short hikes here, which gave us the opportunity to see and appreciate the nature and the beauty of this place. We saw giant tortoises, land iguanas in full mating colors and some very curious juvenile Galápagos hawks that were literally following us. Since the rainy season kicked in a couple days ago, the vegetation has begun to flourish and the finches are beginning to court and mate, which will lead into another great year for them. We also saw the Galápagos flycatcher, lava lizards and lots of Galápagos carpenter bees pollinating the flowers. Overall, we had an awesome morning.

 

Once we came back on board, the National Geographic Endeavour pulled anchor and headed toward Tagus Cove, our destination for the afternoon. A wonderful lunch was served and this was followed by a photo presentation by National Geographic Photographer Catherine Karnow. Then there was time for a little siesta.

 

 At 2:00 p.m. we had the opportunity to explore the beautiful coastal areas of Tagus Cove, where we saw flightless cormorants, penguins and plenty of marine life. At 3:00 p.m. we all went snorkeling and had a blast.

 

To finish the day, we had a nice hike up to Tagus Cove, where we were able to see the carved graffiti done by pirates, buccaneers and other visitors. Tagus is also interesting because we are following in the footsteps of the Beagle and Charles Darwin. This is the only place where the Beagle had stopped at Isabela Island. Once we hiked up higher, we had a gorgeous view of Darwin’s Lake and its surroundings. What a day!