Today, we woke up at Urbina Bay. This bay was thrust upward from beneath the ocean by volcanic activity in 1954. After a wet landing, we walked, and saw several giant tortoises and land iguanas that were in the middle of the path, taking advantage of the abundant sunlight to warm up. This is what reptiles do as soon as the sun rises. They rely on outside mechanisms to control their body temperature. During our walk, we saw evidence of the 1954 uplift everywhere; there were rounded pebbles where the shore had been, and coral skeletons where the reef was.
After our walk, we swam on the beach where we landed. The youngsters had Zodiac driving lessons and then we went back to National Geographic Islander and jumped from the deck into the ocean! In the afternoon, we visited Tagus Cove where we kayaked, snorkeled, visited Darwin’s Volcano, and walked uphill for a spectacular view. A great day ends in paradise.
