Today we visited Isabela, the largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago. Isabela was formed by the merging of six different volcanoes, most of which are still active.
Our Zodiacs took us to Urbina Bay; the disembarkation was a bit difficult due to strong swells. On land, the landscape has changed dramatically—the arrival of rains typical of the warm season brought water to land and now we can see an explosion of life. Finches welcome us with their beautiful songs characteristic of the breeding season.
We were lucky to see two giant tortoises on the path, these species is unique to volcano Alcedo. One giant tortoise was particularly curious and got very close to our guests. We also saw several land iguanas. Unfortunately, we also observed a feral cat, an invasive species and a reminder of the consequences of early human settlements here.
In the afternoon we visited Tagus Cove. This is a historic place because Charles Darwin landed here. We kayaked and paddle boarded and saw several penguins as well as flightless cormorants, sea turtles, pelicans and sharks during our outing. Finally, we climbed up hill to observe the fantastic view of Darwin’s Lake.
