Isabela and Fernandina Islands
The Galápagos Islands offer a combination of natural marvels and a deep connection with nature and wildlife. Today we had a marvelous exploration to the west of the archipelago, and a pre-breakfast activity was the best way to begin our journey. During a comfortable sail along the coast of Wolf volcano we spotted a small group of stripped dolphins followed by a big pod of common dolphins. At the end of navigation, it was time to visit one of the most spectacular places of the archipelago: Punta Vicente Roca.
A magnificent Zodiac ride along the cliffs gave us the opportunity to see a lot of wildlife that is found living inside this area: Blue-footed boobies resting on the rocks, brown noddies flying and singing all over the place, Galápagos sea lions sleeping on the lava rocks, Galápagos penguins standing on rock formations, and the biggest attraction was definitely the Pacific green sea turtles that were swimming around the Zodiacs. The color contrast of the different volcanic material on the walls was the perfect color contrast for a spectacular view.
As we returned back to National Geographic Islander, there was no time to waste; we got our gear ready in order to jump into the water for a fantastic snorkeling experience. As soon as we jumped off the Zodiac, our senses experienced the charming underwater world of the Galápagos Marine Reserve: Reef fish of many colors, sea turtles surrounding us, flightless cormorants fishing, and penguins swimming was the perfect symphony of nature that played to our senses. At the end of the activity, we pulled anchor and started sailing to our next destination: Fernandina Island.
In the afternoon the exploration just got better. This time we visited the youngest and most pristine island of Galápagos: Fernandina. As we disembarked, we were welcomed by dozens of marine iguanas that just looked like moving rocks along the coastline. As an awe-inspiring moment, we witnessed a Galapagos hawk feeding on a female marine iguana. As we followed the coastline, Galápagos sea lions of many different ages were our constant companions. As we reached the farthest point of the trail, we saw one of the best examples of adaptation in the Galápagos Islands: the flightless cormorant. At the end of the journey, the magnificence of the place was displayed in a spectacular sunset with La Cumbre volcano in the background.
