Isabela Island
Last night we were peacefully anchored until the wee hours off the coast of Fernandina. At 0430 we began a short, calm navigation across the Bolivar Channel from Fernandina to southern Isabela Island where we dropped anchor in Urbina Bay. This morning we offered long and short hikes and one group of long hikers chose to go at a faster pace. Everyone who hiked this morning – whether fast, slow, long or short – was rewarded with close observations of numerous giant tortoises and land iguanas. The tortoises ranged in size and age from large adults many decades old, to one individual who was possibly as young as 15 years of age. Most of them were taking it easy on this cool, gray morning – after all, with a life span of 150 and maybe even up to 200 years, what is there to hurry about?
We were able to approach these wild, emblematic reptiles and frame them in many pictures. The land iguanas also seemed to pose for our photos – however they did not stay still as we passed them but rather turned to run or walk off the trail into the undergrowth. We saw mostly male iguanas; the females are much shyer. Some of the guests watched two big males engaged in a violent territorial battle. They shook their jowls and slapped with their tails and bit and pushed one another.
The morning walk was long and humid, so for some of us a quick swim in the cool Pacific was delightful! Back on board after lunch everyone had a deserved nap and for an hour or so as we navigated towards the afternoon’s visitor site at Tagus Cove, no one was on deck or in the lounge: the National Geographic Islander seemed to be a ghost ship.
Activity began again shortly after my 1430 announcement calling the kayakers and snorkelers. Two groups of kayakers went out this afternoon with Gilda and they enjoyed seeing sea turtles, cormorants, penguins and sea lions. A double decker pair of copulating sea turtles was a good sign as it means turtle eggs and hatchlings in the months to come!
Those who went snorkeling with Fernando and Sofia had a wonderful time in spite of the chilly water. They swam with turtles and penguins and watched a cormorant swallow an eel!
Later we offered a hike up and around the tuff cone lake called Darwin (what else?) where we stretched our legs and hiked under barren palo santo trees. I took a group of guests on a Zodiac cruise to the north along the shore line and we slipped into a cave where we admired the intertidal life of many colors and forms. Penguins, cormorants, boobies and pelicans were perched along the shore line; the penguins – like the sea turtles earlier – were also mating, so we know that baby penguins are scheduled in the near future for Galápagos!
This was a magnificent day and tonight we navigate back towards the central islands of the archipelago.
