Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove
The western islands of the Galápagos are simply stunning, and we are very fortunate to be able to spend two whole days in this area. The landscape here is dominated by the magnificent shield volcanoes of Isabela and Fernandina, giving us the impression of being totally isolated from the rest of the world. These two islands are the most volcanically active, and a proof of this is the site called Urbina Bay. In 1954, 1.5km of coastline was uplifted, suddenly leaving many marine organisms stranded inland. Several decades later, the remnants of this event, like large coral heads, shells and sand, can still be seen along the trail that crisscrosses this area.
Typical dry zone vegetation now covers much of this place, providing the perfect habitat to a unique species of the Galápagos Islands: the land iguanas. They were abundant in numbers in the past, but the introduction of predators like dogs and cats has decimated its population. Nevertheless, we had no trouble finding several individuals along the trail, most of which were males. Their yellow coloration is striking, although it is at the same time the perfect camouflage in their environment. To our surprise, we also encountered a giant tortoise just a few feet from the trail. It was still a relatively young animal, and it was happily enjoying the shade provided by a beautiful yellow cordia tree. The sky was clear, and the air temperature was quickly rising, so after seeing these amazing creatures we all returned to the beach, where some of us decided to go for a refreshing dip in the water.
Towards midday, the National Geographic Endeavour repositioned further north, anchoring this time at Tagus Cove. It is a majestic area, with tall cliffs modeled by wind erosion. Its calm waters offer a perfect opportunity for kayaking along the shore. There is a trail that leads to a crater, named after Charles Darwin, who visited the vicinity. The hike goes gently upwards through a beautiful arid zone. At the end, from an outcrop of rocks, we were rewarded with the amazing views over the lava fields of nearby Darwin Volcano. Some of our guests opted for a Zodiac ride instead; the landscape was impressive, and the fauna near the shoreline here was extraordinary: blue-footed boobies roosting and even courting on the rocky ledges, Galápagos penguins swimming or sunning themselves, flightless cormorants nesting, brown noddy terns active in their colony, Pacific green sea turtles all around us… simply breathtaking.
The sun sets quite quickly here on the equator, and today it set behind the silhouette of Fernandina Volcano. We are sure that tomorrow more exciting experiences await us in our next destination: Santiago Island.
