Isabela Island
The largest island in Galápagos has the shape of a sea horse and the name of a queen. It is formed by five volcanoes, each of them with a unique kind of giant tortoise, and it is crossed by the Equator. Isabela Island is a place with many beauties.
Isabela is a very active island as well due to its proximity to the hot spot. This morning we started by hiking on an area that 60 years ago was underwater. Urbina Bay is an area that was uplifted out of the water in a very dramatic way, maybe just in a couple of days. The best proof of this event are the giant heads of white coral that are along the inside part of the trail. The old beach and the sea worms attached to the rocks now lie far away from the shoreline. The hike was long but worth it! We found several land iguanas and even a couple of giant tortoises. At the beach we counted over 29 Galápagos hawks.
In the afternoon we anchored in Tagus Cove just as many did ages ago: buccaneers, pirates and whalers in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Young Darwin was here as well. The oldest graffiti found on this place dates from 1836, just one year after Darwin’s visit to the Galápagos Islands.
This beautiful and protected cove was the base for our activities: snorkeling, kayaking, Zodiac rides and hiking! There were many activities but we have many things to explore. There is no time to lose while you’re exploring nature!
