Urbina Bay and Tagus Cove
The rainy season has definitely started and the islands look emerald green. This morning we anchored at Urbina Bay, off the western coast of Isabela Island. This treacherous coastline is rather new, being the product of an uplift that happened in 1954. Back then, due to some displacement of magma underneath the crust, 1.5 square kilometers of coast were uplifted in a process which may have lasted just hours or a few days. Suddenly, many marine organisms – like seashells and corals – found themselves far away from the ocean, and their remains still abound all along the trail.
The area is now entirely covered in vegetation, and has become the perfect habitat for some unique species. One of them is the endemic land iguana. It had rained earlier today, and they seemed to be enjoying the cooler ground and air temperatures. With an abundance of food in their surroundings, the iguanas seem ready to begin their annual breeding cycle, and we could observe various males already showing an interest in the females.
The trail is now decorated with new flowers, like the Galapágos cotton, yellow cordia and velvet shrub flowers amongst the intense green foliage. The birds were also pretty happy with such a new supply of food, having endured the long dry season. It was a great day to spot three ground finch species rather close by. The beautiful song of the yellow warbler was also delightful to hear, and a Galápagos flycatcher wouldn’t stop catching tiny flies for a meal.
Urbina is a small portion of one of the five shield volcanoes forming Isabela Island, and each one hosts its endemic species of giant tortoise. We were fortunate today to find a wandering juvenile tortoise, happily ‘parked’ on some green vegetation. After this wonderful surprise, we headed back to the landing beach, where some of our guests had time to relax after a strenuous walk.
In the afternoon, we reach a new anchorage, further north. Tagus Cove is a safe anchorage, and sailors in the past would have found fresh water springs in the vicinity. Behind its walls, it hides spectacular views, which one can reach when hiking gently upwards along the trail. The area is once again of a powerful green color, particularly the new foliage of the native palo santo trees. Beautiful Darwin Lake, located in the middle of a tuff cone, is a highlight here. At the end of the trail, we were stunned by the views over the vast lava fields of adjacent Darwin Volcano.
The coastline of Tagus Cove is also quite stunning, with its tuff cliffs being constantly eroded by winds and waves. Both snorkeling and during the Zodiac rides, we could admire the wildlife of this region: Galápagos penguins, flightless cormorants, brown pelicans and Galápagos sea lions seemed all to be curious about our presence nearby. A fine rain accompanied us during the afternoon, but we knew that after a long dry season, it is just what the unique ecosystem of this wonderful archipelago needs this time of year.
