Isabela is the largest of the Galapagos Islands, and certainly a beautiful one. Today early in the morning we set foot at Urbina Bay on Isabela’s western coast. This place was the scene of a volcanic event in 1954, when a large section of the submarine platform was uplifted and added to the landscape of the area. It was a sudden event and witnesses found dead lobsters and marine turtles stranded on the sand, having been unable to escape their fate. Time has gone by and the area has now been covered by dense vegetation, but even now we are able to find a number of shells of marine invertebrates still firmly attached to rocks deep along the trail in the interior.
Other organisms have colonized Urbina too, and evidence of their existence was everywhere to be found. There are countless burrows that land iguanas dig everywhere in the area, and several of them were already active in the heat of the day, either patrolling their territories or eating the poison apples that abound in this arid zone. Some individuals of the Alcedo species of giant tortoise come to this area to feed on local plants, and today we were lucky to spot a couple of them. It is a real treat to see a giant tortoise in its natural habitat, so we know we were really fortunate! The land birds were active and quite abundant too, and all along the trail we were accompanied by various species of Darwin finches, yellow warblers and Galapagos mockingbirds. In the distance, a solitary Galapagos hawk observed its vast territory from a tall palo santo branch. Back at the landing beach, the air felt clean, the sky and ocean were blue, and a few spotted eagle rays swam slowly in the bay area. Simply gorgeous!
In the afternoon, the great weather stayed with us and the activity options were varied. Some guests chose to explore the magnificent coastline of Tagus Cove by kayak; most returned extremely happy having been close to wild marine turtles in abundance. Others preferred to explore the underwater world of this historical cove, where sailors and mariners of the past have left the name of their ships and the year of their visit either carved or painted on the rocks. The fish species here are numerous and can be colorful, and often our fearless snorkelers were surprised by the sudden appearance of a flightless cormorant or a Galapagos penguin hurriedly chasing a school of fish.
A highlight of this site is the number of Pacific green sea turtles that come to Tagus to feed on the abundance of seaweed. Later on, our guests chose between an invigorating hike along an uphill trail leading to the summit of a small cinder cone, from which they could enjoy some fantastic views over the lava fields of Darwin volcano. The pace had to be brisk, as we did not want to miss the sunset! The other option was to take a Zodiac ride along the stunning nearby coast, home to many endemic and native species like the Galapagos sea lions, penguins, flightless cormorants, brown noddy terns, blue-footed boobies and brown pelicans, just to name a few. It was an unforgettable afternoon full of life and colors, one that reminded us what a magical place the Enchanted Islands are.
