We woke up to a nice cool morning with low clouds. After breakfast we headed for the shore with a gentle breeze accompanying us. As we approached the shore we spotted a flock of sea birds foraging in the shallow water of the beach. As we got closer, we could see that was small group of hungry Galapagos penguins
We soon landed on Isabela Island, specifically Urbina bay is a black sandy beach at the foot of Alcedo Volcano it is a little beach frequented by sea turtles during the breeding season. There is a large population of Pacific Green Sea Turtles in the western Galapagos and hundreds of them often lay their eggs in this nesting area.
We started our exploration walk and we encountered small flocks of Darwin’s finches dotting the bushes and feeding on dry seeds left behind from the previous seasons in the islands. Land iguanas happen to be the highlight of the place, thy nest around here. We spotted several males and females iguanas just coming out of their burrows and getting ready to start the day, several old nesting areas were also seen along the path.
During the afternoon we anchored and explored Tagus Cove. Although the waters are usually cloudier here, this is a great place for snorkeling, kayaking and zodiac ride. There are high cliffs surrounding the cove and the place is home and nesting site for several species of sea birds. We got lucky to swim with several Galapagos penguins near us and even spot a flightless cormorant on its hunting activities.
We finish an extraordinary day, with a sunset zodiac ride along the coast of the sea horse-shape island.
