Urvina Bay and Tagus Cove
After spending an entire day looking at Isabela Island we set out to explore it. This is by far the biggest island, making up about 55% of all the landmass of the archipelago. Not just one, but five — still considered active — shield volcanoes line up and form, together with a half-eroded volcano, a landscape which is unparalleled on our planet. We landed on a small and high beach made of grey-black sand, with still some recent green sea turtle nests on top. After donning our shoes we took off on a walk along a very rocky shore. We walked for about two hours in this area, which went through a dramatic uplifting in the mid-fifties. Uplifts are not uncommon in Galápagos. In some cases entire islands, like Seymour North, are moved in a single uplift.
Later we walked more inland to find land iguanas. These very yellow reptiles made this their habitat and manage this harsh and dry environment stoically. We see their burrows and trails. In this dry zone you can see as well how plants have adapted for survival. Having small leaves, small flowers, spines and thorns, and rough surfaces to capture moisture from the air are all trades of a xerophyte, a desert plant.
Later, at the beach, some of us took the opportunity to swim back to the ship. Supported by a Zodiac we swam for about half a mile.
In the afternoon we snorkeled along the walls of Tagus Cove. The sloping, cemented tuff makes a jagged shoreline, which continues underwater, making for very diverse scenery. The substrate is covered with filter feeders like anemones, sponges, barnacles and coral. We see turtles feeding, many different reef fish and some penguins swiftly swimming by. We spent a good hour in the water, since there was so much to see.
After warming up on board there was still time for a hike that ended with a magnificent view of Isabela. The walk winds along the rim of a tuff cone, where we can look down into a crater lake. The late afternoon hour with an almost setting sun gives a soft and yellow light. This is a magic moment which lasts only minutes. We take it in like a mental elixir. In the distance lies National Geographic Islander at anchor, waiting for us to come on board and sail away to a new adventure.
