Southern Isabela Island

What an exciting day this magical archipelago brought during today’s expedition. We had beautiful weather the entire day; spectacular sun with clear blue skies and a soft cool breeze blowing on our faces.

This morning we disembarked at Urbina, a location famous for being volcanically uplifted. With a little bit of imagination it was possible to picture how this bay may have looked the moment the event took place in 1954. Three miles, approximately five kilometers, was uplifted along the coast within a week, exposing huge quantities of marine life. Now, after only a few decades it is all covered with the characteristic vegetation of a dry forest. As we hiked along this wild and unusual trail we spotted several Galápagos land iguanas. After we finished the hike, we went to refresh ourselves by taking a pleasant dip at the landing black beach.

During lunch the National Geographic Islander took us to our next destination, Punta Moreno, on Southern Isabela Island. Different activities were planned to satisfy our excitement and eagerness. One group of adventurers took the option of a long hike to explore the immense and recent black lava fields of Punta Moreno. Small green oases were found here and there scattered all over the trail. These small lagoons broke the continuity of the vast lava fields providing shelter to several species of birds. A second option was a Zodiac cruise along the mangrove and coastal areas of Punta Moreno. Galápagos sea lions, marine iguanas, stingrays and many Galápagos penguins were admired and photographed. At the end of the day all of us were stunned by the intrinsic beauty of the wild coastlines volcanic features and its isolated surroundings.

Just when we thought the fun was over, a splendid sunset helped fix in our minds and hearts all the new discoveries and feelings that this expedition has continuously brought our spirits.