Isabela and Fernandina Islands
Today our exploration took us to the youngest area of the archipelago: Isabela and Fernandina Islands. The best way to begin our Galápagos Islands adventure was with a pre-breakfast activity in order to find marine mammals along the coast of Volcan Wolf. A magnificent landscape decorated by big shield volcanoes was the dominant view of the place.
While navigating the ocean had a big surprise for us: three big Bryde’s whales were swimming along the navigation route, they looked so tame that it was possible to see them up-close. Farther north, there were more surprises from the sea: hundreds of common dolphins began an acrobatic display for all the guests that woke up early in the morning.
The next adventure of the morning was to go for a Zodiac ride along the cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca. The marvels of the Galápagos Islands were shown in a magnificent display of blue-footed boobies plunge diving, colorful marine iguanas fighting, Galápagos penguins swimming, and Pacific green sea turtles poking their heads out their water. Different volcanic structures found in the place made us remember the magnificence of volcanic activity.
After a charming Zodiac ride, it was time to get our gear ready for deep water snorkeling. As soon as we jumped in, the marvels of one of the biggest marine reserves of the world were revealed to our eyes: colorful reef fishes covering black lava rocks all over the place, playful baby sea lions swimming to the guests, and dozens of green sea turtles swimming from one place to the other.
In the afternoon exploration got better, and the best way to begin was to take a hike into the lava fields of Punta Espinosa at Fernandina Island. Young lava flows welcomed us since the very beginning of exploration, and hundreds of marine iguanas were the perfect companions for a fantastic adventure. At the end of the trail, the island was going to reveal its biggest surprise: flightless cormorants.
At the end of the adventure, the magic of the rainy season made us sense its attractions as it started raining for several minutes. The west of the archipelago is a place of ample surprises, and today we experience part of those marvels in the living paradise of the Galápagos Islands.
