Southern Isabela Island
A glorious, bright sunny morning welcomed us to the slopes of Alcedo volcano on Isabela Island. There, we wet landed on a superb black sand beach for a remarkable walk on Urbina Bay. This place is a location quite different, because it was under the sea up until sixty years ago! In 1954 volcanic energy from a possible displacement of magma underneath pushed up a vast portion of this part of the ocean floor, taking it to the surface.
A vast swath of sand exposed area was then formed, and the land iguanas decided to extend their territory to this newly uplifted platform. This area is the perfect place for their nests and to build the burrows they use for extra shade during the hot days and to stay warm during the nights.
As we strolled along the path we encountered two magnificent male land iguanas proudly defending their territory and at the same time, they were sun bathing!
All the iguanas were cooperative and they allowed us to get close to them to take some nice photographs. The surrounding vegetation was very pretty, too; we sustained long and interesting conversations with our guests about the plants we have here and compared them with the ones in their home areas. Finches, mockingbirds and yellow warblers hopped from branch to branch as we talked about them.
The afternoon highlights were the bright pink flamingoes in the “lava oasis” at Punta Moreno. After a hike on a very rough young lava flow, we had the company of the cute and tiny Galápagos penguin as we took a Zodiac cruise along the coastal area. The big marine iguanas were definitively a dramatic contrast as we found them in the same location where the penguins have their colonies. After taking yet another picture of an iguana, the wind increased and pretty much blew us back to our beloved National Geographic Islander.
A glorious, bright sunny morning welcomed us to the slopes of Alcedo volcano on Isabela Island. There, we wet landed on a superb black sand beach for a remarkable walk on Urbina Bay. This place is a location quite different, because it was under the sea up until sixty years ago! In 1954 volcanic energy from a possible displacement of magma underneath pushed up a vast portion of this part of the ocean floor, taking it to the surface.
A vast swath of sand exposed area was then formed, and the land iguanas decided to extend their territory to this newly uplifted platform. This area is the perfect place for their nests and to build the burrows they use for extra shade during the hot days and to stay warm during the nights.
As we strolled along the path we encountered two magnificent male land iguanas proudly defending their territory and at the same time, they were sun bathing!
All the iguanas were cooperative and they allowed us to get close to them to take some nice photographs. The surrounding vegetation was very pretty, too; we sustained long and interesting conversations with our guests about the plants we have here and compared them with the ones in their home areas. Finches, mockingbirds and yellow warblers hopped from branch to branch as we talked about them.
The afternoon highlights were the bright pink flamingoes in the “lava oasis” at Punta Moreno. After a hike on a very rough young lava flow, we had the company of the cute and tiny Galápagos penguin as we took a Zodiac cruise along the coastal area. The big marine iguanas were definitively a dramatic contrast as we found them in the same location where the penguins have their colonies. After taking yet another picture of an iguana, the wind increased and pretty much blew us back to our beloved National Geographic Islander.
