Juan Carlos Avila, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
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Daily Expedition
Reports
07 Dec 2021
Isabela Island & Tagus Cove, 12/7/2021, National Geographic Endeavour II
Aboard the
National Geographic Endeavour II
Galápagos
Isabela is the largest island in the archipelago. It has six volcanoes, and one of them is only halfway above the surface of the water. We explored the south and central realm of Isabela, visiting Urbina Bay in the morning and Tagus Cove in the afternoon.
Gilda was born in Ambato, located in the very heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. Since she was a child, she loved animals, often rescuing street cats and dogs. Her parents always made sure there were nature books and plenty of Jacques Cousteau’s videos a...
Juan Carlos was born in Quito, Ecuador. He spent part of his elementary schooling in the province of Cotopaxi, a beautiful area in the Ecuadorian Andes ringed by volcanoes. In 1989 his family moved to the Galápagos and settled in the highlands of San...
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We arrived at Academy Bay early in the morning. Santa Cruz Island has a large population of giant tortoises as well as the breeding center for giant tortoises that belongs to the Galapagos National Park. We had a great time observing tortoises in captivity as well as in the wild. We also had a great opportunity to see the saddleback tortoises as well as the dome-shaped carapace. A very important aspect of the archipelago is not only the giant tortoises but also the unusual vegetation, such as the giant daisies and giant prickly pear cacti. We had a great time exploring this island and observing the wildlife as well as spending some time with the local community.
Today we visited the centrally located Santiago Island and enjoyed many different activities, including a pre-breakfast excursion searching for wildlife. Then we repositioned to Buccaneer Cove where a variety of water activities were offered, including kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkeling, glass bottom boating, and Zodiac rides. Today was exceptionally calm, with clear waters for us all to enjoy lots of marine wildlife, like turtles, an octopus, and many different species of fish. We enjoyed lunch and then we made our way to another visitor site, Puerto Egas. Here, we saw fur seals, iguanas, shore birds, and sea lions. We also explored a black sand beach. An incredible sunset accompanied us as we headed back to National Geographic Endeavour II for our navigation toward our next day’s adventures. We are now a big family!
Waking up surrounded by Isabela Island volcanoes was truly a beautiful start to the day. Their shapes created a stunning landscape very characteristic of the northwestern islands. Their shield shape, with clouds on the summit of their calderas, is a very common site during the start of the rainy season. This island offered us a day full of wildlife on land and underwater. Land iguanas, giant tortoises, and Galapagos penguins made for a magical experience that we’ll keep in our memories forever.
