Urbina Bay and Punta Moreno
We began our navigation at around 5:00 in the morning aboard National Geographic Islander. We crossed the Bolivar channel from Fernandina Island to Isabela Island, and we arrived at Urbina Bay. A very important geological event took place here in 1954, when a vast area close to the shoreline was dramatically uplifted. Urbina Bay is located at the western side of Isabela, just at the foot of the active Alcedo Volcano. In 1954 part of the beach suffered a sudden change, the creatures that were living under the ocean: sea turtles, lobsters, snails, crabs, sea urchins and coral reefs died after this drastic elevation of the seafloor that rose up to the surface 13 feet above! Immediately after there was an eruption of this volcano.
Just after breakfast, before landing, we had the great opportunity to see a pod of bottlenose dolphins. After this sighting we landed on the beach and took a walk to observe some remains of the marine creatures that perished during the 1954 uplifting event. The walk was warm and we really enjoyed looking at the huge marine iguanas (the largest of the archipelago) that live along the beach. We could see some land iguanas as well, easily identified by their bright colors. Walking on the interior part of the island was a real challenge for many of our guests. At the end of the walk we immediately submerged ourselves in the ocean for a refreshing dip at the landing beach. We saw a few green Pacific sea turtles swimming nearby. Our children really enjoyed swimming at this beach. Later on they had Zodiac driving lessons as well.
After lunch we navigated to our next visitor site, Punta Moreno. This visitors’ site is located between Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul Volcanoes. We had two options: a long walk on the lava fields or a Zodiac ride. Some guests walked through an enormous lava field known as a “desert of lava” right in the middle of two majestic active volcanoes Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul. Here they found an oasis of brackish water lagoons surrounded by mangroves, cacti, thorn bushes and endemic Scalesias. Surprisingly we found some bird species like the endemic Galápagos ducks, gallinules, and the most impressive Greater flamingos. We spent a long time admiring the beauty of this enchanted place. During the Zodiac ride we saw several schools of golden rays, some spotted eagle rays and some marbled stingrays. A beautiful sunset joined us in our way back to National Geographic Islander.
