Isabela & Fernandina Islands
To visit the westerns side of the Galápagos Islands is always a pleasure and something that most of the naturalists look forward to. One of the main reasons for this is the amount of wildlife that one can find over this new, pristine land, as well as the promising possibility of encountering marine mammals.
It was not until after our morning experience on the island of Isabela that we found them, and the waiting was worth it. Our morning was eventful, as we had major encounters with wildlife such as penguins, turtles, large colonies of blue-footed boobies perching on the cliffs and the presence of the flightless cormorant, which is only found over this area.
As we were navigating to Fernandina (and very respectful of our meal time) a large group of Pilot whales appeared shortly after lunch. As we made the announcement, the guests filled the outer deck for a better look. We indeed had incredible views as the pod of whales allowed us to get so close to them that everybody got a good look as well as great photos, even with point and shoot cameras.
The afternoon on the Island of Fernandina was not only beautiful but exiting as well. During the whole afternoon we were watching small, thin columns of smoke that appeared to be coming from the center of the giant shield-shape volcano. It has been a few years since the last volcanic activity coming from this volcano, and we will of course gladly accept another one anytime!
As we made our way back to the ship we observed the clear skies and the beautiful sunset, giving closure to a phenomenal day among volcanoes.
