One of my favourite visits is the panga (local name for Zodiac!) cruise along Punta Vicente Roca. It always reminds me of Darwin's first impressions of the islands. They looked so barren and lifeless from afar that he was extremely disappointed, yet as he landed he found they were actually crawling with life, but a unique life he had never seen before. From afar, the outer wall of Ecuador Volcano looks pretty daunting and bare, but along the boat ride, the amount of life that can be seen always amazes me. We found massive male marine iguanas in breeding coloration defending their territories by fighting, small Galapagos fur seals playing among the tumbled rocks, colonies of terns and boobies along the walls, and a lot of marine life, including the Green turtles and the very odd Mola mola (Ocean Sunfish). The geology is also fascinating, as we have tuff stone formations carved by the waves into caves and vertical lava intrusions (or diques, like the one in the picture) criss-crossing the cinder walls.

One of my favourite visits is the panga (local name for Zodiac!) cruise along Punta Vicente Roca. It always reminds me of Darwin's first impressions of the islands. They looked so barren and lifeless from afar that he was extremely disappointed, yet as he landed he found they were actually crawling with life, but a unique life he had never seen before. From afar, the outer wall of Ecuador Volcano looks pretty daunting and bare, but along the boat ride, the amount of life that can be seen always amazes me. We found massive male marine iguanas in breeding coloration defending their territories by fighting, small Galapagos fur seals playing among the tumbled rocks, colonies of terns and boobies along the walls, and a lot of marine life, including the Green turtles and the very odd Mola mola (Ocean Sunfish). The geology is also fascinating, as we have tuff stone formations carved by the waves into caves and vertical lava intrusions (or diques, like the one in the picture) criss-crossing the cinder walls.