Urbina & Punta Moreno, Isabela Island
Today we set out at eight thirty in the morning to accomplish our goal of finding land iguanas and giant tortoises. Along the way we found huge pieces of coral that were once part of the ocean floor along the coastline.
When we landed on Urbina bay, Alcedo volcano was greeting us. A large population of giant tortoises live at the very top of it, constantly looking for food and shelter. This volcano is high enough to offer the proper environmental conditions for mist to be formed all year long, This helps the vegetation maintain a certain level of health and growth.
As we strolled along the coast we found endemic plants such us Darwin’s cotton, thorn shrub, and Galápagos shore petunia. They may not be the most beautiful plants in Ecuador, but there is no doubt, that in order to tolerate long hard periods of time without water, they are among the strongest.
After our walk we finally reached the beach; we all had big smiles on our faces as we were able to accomplish everything we set out to see: land iguanas, giant tortoises and famous pieces of uplifted coral from 1954.
In the afternoon a lava field was waiting for us; Punta Moreno is the perfect place for rare sightings, especially when you find black barren lava with penguins, marine iguanas, and flamingos in the middle of it! The view is so shocking that it would be hard to forget.
