Today we started our day surrounded by enormous shield volcanoes located in the western area of the Galapagos. Our first outing of the day was at Urbina Bay and after landing we started a challenging hike along the rocky coast of this site. During our walk we learned that an unusual event happened in Urbina. A massive uplift of the seabed occurred in 1954 leaving many marine organisms, such as huge coral heads and tubeworms, on land. It was an unbelievable experience to observe how nowadays the coral is surrounded by very dense vegetation that includes yellow cordia trees, poison apple trees, and one of my favorite flowers, the Galapagos cotton flower. On our way along the trail we spotted several Galapagos yellow land iguanas and one giant tortoise from Alcedo volcano. There were many land birds, such as ground finches, flycatchers, and mocking birds singing and flying over the trail. With a hot morning, clear sky, and a great company of our friendly guests, we ended the visit with a refreshing dip in the water at the same beach we disembarked at earlier.
In the afternoon we continued with our activities, which were kayaking and snorkeling at a different location on Isabela Island, Tagus Cove. The conditions were very pleasant with calm, warm waters. There were penguins on the rocks, flightless cormorants, and many pelicans diving in the bay. Snorkelers observed sea turtles feeding on the algae while penguins swam fast after some small fish. It was a great experience!
Later on we did a fast hike to the viewpoint at Tagus Cove. On our way to the summit we had chances to take great pictures of the landscape that includes Darwin’s lake and Tagus Cove. At the top the scenery was overwhelming. The sun was setting behind Fernandina Island, painting the sky with colors that our guests will never forget. As we walked back to the National Geographic Islander we realized how lucky we were to experience this magical place with all its inhabitants.
