After a good night’s rest we woke up at magnificent Isabela Island. On the shores of Alcedo Volcano we find our visitor site for this morning: Urbina Bay.
Geology is fascinating here, and moreso when you can witness what you learn with examples. We learned that this area was uplifted in 1954, and later on we were walking far away from the shore finding proof of the marine life that this area supported when it was under water - sea worms and calcareous algae are attached to the rocks on the inside part of the trail, and broken shells and giant heads of white coral were found in the farthest areas of our visit. What an interesting zone! And interesting in its wildlife too. We spotted several Galapagos land iguanas and even a couple of giant tortoises that have come down from Alcedo Volcano.
The day was hot, so we ended our visit by jumping into the refreshing waters of the sea. And our younger explorers had fun too having some Zodiac driving lessons. It was an enjoyable morning.
In the afternoon we anchored in a much known cove named Tagus. Buccaneers, pirates, and whalers came to this place, which reminds us of its fame from the sailor-written graffiti that was left on the walls. The oldest we could find was from 1836 (one year after Darwin came to the islands). A bit of very famous graffiti is one from 1954, with the emblematic Mickey ears on top of a camera, which lets us know that Walt Disney expeditions came here…the same year of the uplift of Urbina.
In Tagus Cove we had some great snorkeling and kayaking. One of our kayaks actually got a visit by a curious juvenile flightless cormorant which kept biting the paddle of one of our guests.
We ended the day with a power walk to the summit of a cone from where we could observe the beautiful cove. The sun set behind Fernandina Island, painting the walls of Tagus Cove a beautiful pink color. What a day of activities and interactions with nature! What a day to explore the Galapagos!
