Baptized in honor of Fernando de Aragon and Isabel de Castilla, King and Queen of Spain late 1490’s, Fernandina and Isabela are the youngest islands with the most active volcanos in the Galapagos. Certainly, the two last eruptions in the archipelago occurred in 2005 and 2009 on both islands. After sailing from Rabida, we started our day early in the morning, exploring the calm seas west of Isabela in search of marine life. We were surprised by a pod of dolphins jumping and traveling together, heading to the southern side of Isabela Island while in the distance the gigantic Ecuador volcano looked clouded and colored by the first beams of sun. After breakfast the National Geographic Islander crossed the equator and our guests, commemorating this change of hemisphere, did the limbo underneath a string of Ecuadorian flags.
As soon we arrived via Zodiacs to Punta Vicente Roca, we headed to the seashore where we were able to spot flightless cormorants nesting along the coast, green sea turtles, fur and Galapagos sea lions. The richness of the ocean contrasted with stunning geological features, with titanic cliffs and the evidence of great explosive eruptions, made us understand the formation of the archipelago millions of years ago. Afterwards we returned to the bay to discover the incredible underwater world, snorkeling with incredible creatures like nowhere else. We encountered flightless cormorants, sea lions and colorful tropical fish which swam close to sea turtles to clean their bodies, removing and eating some parasites.
During lunchtime, the National Geographic Islander sailed west towards Bolivar Channel to the youngest island of the Galapagos and anchored at Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island. After the Human History talk we headed to the island, disembarking on the small and dock which looked flooded due to an uncommon high tide. Walking along the lava field hundreds of large marine iguanas welcomed us to enter the most preserved island in the enchanted archipelago. The World’s only sea-going lizard, marine iguanas, covered large areas of the path to bask under the sun and secreted salt out of their nostrils producing an unmistakable noise which we heard throughout our visit. Just before the sun set we arrived to flightless cormorant territory. We observed many of them making their nests, collecting some seaweed, or drying out their stumpy wings. Two Galapagos hawks observed the iguanas attentively, as if selecting the best prey. A soft breeze and the last beams of sun beckoned us back to the National Geographic Islander. We had an incredible day filled with unique creatures in this marvelous place called Galapagos.
