Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove
This is our second full day exploring the western islands of the Galápagos archipelago. After a short navigation, we reached Urbina Bay early this morning. Its rocky shoreline is quite uninviting, with its tall and spiky lava blocks and narrow strips of sand. However, once we stepped ashore, we were met by some of the inhabitants of this arid zone: at least half a dozen of juvenile Galápagos hawks were standing by the landing beach. They were to remain there despite our presence until later when we left back to the ship! The trail of Urbina is a long one, but it offers us great chances to find other endemic species like the land iguana. This is a unique species that tolerates dry conditions very well. We were able to observe several male land iguanas already profiting from the shade; it was a sunny day, and the ground quickly started to get hot towards mid-morning. As we ventured inland, we realized how much evidence of the geological event that created this area still exists: white sand, seashells, boulders and corals are still found quite far away from the landing beach. Back in 1954, a displacement of magmas underneath Urbina Bay caused the sudden uplift of about 1.5km2 of submarine platform, leaving many organisms like lobsters, fish and even sea turtles stranded to die. Not surprisingly, a few months later, nearby Alcedo Volcano erupted. Today, most of the uplifted area has been covered by vegetation, and life thrives here, particularly land birds like Galápagos mockingbirds and Darwin finches. Some of us were fortunate enough to spot a young giant tortoise in the vicinity. After the walk, many of our guests went for a dip in the ocean in order to recover from the equatorial heat. Back on board, a delicious typical Ecuadorian lunch awaited for us…”Buen provecho!”
Further north up the Bolivar Channel, we navigated towards Tagus Cove. This place was named after one of the many ships that visited Galápagos in the past. Testimony of this are the historical graffiti still found carved or painted along the walls of Tagus Cove, now a prohibited custom. The cliffs around the cove offer us wonderful views and landscapes, and this is the home to several unique species found nowhere else on Earth, like the Galápagos penguin, the flightless cormorants and Galápagos sea lions.
This afternoon, we could choose different ways to explore the beauty of this area. Snorkelers could once more swim with Pacific green sea turtles, flightless cormorants, penguins and hornsharks; kayakers could paddle near the rocks to encounter marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies, Zodiac riders could take their cameras along to appreciate this unique coastline and the organisms that inhabit it, and hikers could crown a small eroded crater that overlooks the magnificent lava fields of nearby Darwin Volcano, one of the five major shield volcanoes that form Isabela Island.
It was a superb day, and we know now that every day and every place is different in the Galápagos, so we cannot wait to start the new adventures that await for us tomorrow!
