Southern Isabela Island
The stillness of the previous night gave us a good time to rest, so in the morning of the 10th of July, we were more than ready to begin our expedition. The day appeared somehow overcast and we reaped the benefits of that. While walking along the shoreline we were delighted by the presence of small ground finches eating - who knows what - in the tidal pools. We also enjoyed the huge marine iguanas of this place as well as the numerous land iguanas that roamed through the vegetation.
Ever since the cleansing of this area by the park rangers, when they completed the eradication of the introduced goats, the vegetation has grown dense. It is pleasant to be surrounded by this greenery as we walk along the trail. We gather around a huge coral head that stands out in this terrestrial scenery; this is evidence of the uplift that occurred here half a century ago. Many other corals and decaying marine creatures are now hidden from the eyes of the visitors by a cover of 50 years growth of vegetation.
The afternoon was outstanding! We took pleasure in the hike across an expansive pahoehoe lava flow and we were impressed by the jumble of the Aa lava at Punta Moreno. The immensity of the lava flows made us wonder and we contemplated the incredible power displayed during an eruption. Just a few short weeks have passed since the last volcanic episode on this island, which took place at the end of May.
Late in the afternoon we started our navigation to the west and south. We admired the marvels of a blazing orange and pink sunset. On board the National Geographic Islander we gazed across the vastness of ocean in front of us, and readied ourselves, waiting for the next set of emotions and for tomorrow’s enchantment.
The stillness of the previous night gave us a good time to rest, so in the morning of the 10th of July, we were more than ready to begin our expedition. The day appeared somehow overcast and we reaped the benefits of that. While walking along the shoreline we were delighted by the presence of small ground finches eating - who knows what - in the tidal pools. We also enjoyed the huge marine iguanas of this place as well as the numerous land iguanas that roamed through the vegetation.
Ever since the cleansing of this area by the park rangers, when they completed the eradication of the introduced goats, the vegetation has grown dense. It is pleasant to be surrounded by this greenery as we walk along the trail. We gather around a huge coral head that stands out in this terrestrial scenery; this is evidence of the uplift that occurred here half a century ago. Many other corals and decaying marine creatures are now hidden from the eyes of the visitors by a cover of 50 years growth of vegetation.
The afternoon was outstanding! We took pleasure in the hike across an expansive pahoehoe lava flow and we were impressed by the jumble of the Aa lava at Punta Moreno. The immensity of the lava flows made us wonder and we contemplated the incredible power displayed during an eruption. Just a few short weeks have passed since the last volcanic episode on this island, which took place at the end of May.
Late in the afternoon we started our navigation to the west and south. We admired the marvels of a blazing orange and pink sunset. On board the National Geographic Islander we gazed across the vastness of ocean in front of us, and readied ourselves, waiting for the next set of emotions and for tomorrow’s enchantment.
