Today our guest explored Isabela Island. In the morning everybody landed at Urbina Bay, located at the central western coast of the island. The idea of this expedition was to have a chance to explore the dry forest that has developed since 1954 when this area was uplifted over the sea level. So at the same that we were stepping on remains of sea floor, coral fragments, deteriorating tube worms and lots of calcium carbonate over the rocks we experienced the land life that has developed.
The highlights of the morning were the land reptiles that we encounter along the hike. The sun was very intense and once under the dry forest and away from the ocean breeze it turned into a hot environment even for the cold blooded Galapagos reptiles. Any way everybody got the opportunities to observe, learn about and photograph a Galapagos giant tortoise that was shading under a bush when we just got into the trail and while hiking the rest of the trail at least four land iguanas that where still basking under the intense sun.
After the hike some guest remained at the landing beach to refresh in the water ant others little by little returned to the National Geographic Islander.
For the afternoon we changed our location to Tagus Cove. This is a historical site since it has been in use since the XVII hundreds as the hub for a whaling era in the Galapagos that lasted for at least one hundred years. At this site our guest had to decide what to do. For the first part of the afternoon either going snorkeling or kayaking and for the rest of the afternoon either going hiking or panga riding. Anyway, everybody was really happy at the end of the day as they experienced small flocks of Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants and green sea turtles as the snorkeled, kayaked or while panga riding. As well, everybody enjoyed the astonishing landscape formatted by numerous tuff cones cover buy dry forest that our guest experienced either while hiking, panga riding or kayaking. At the end of the day everybody appreciated a gorgeous sunset over the Island of Fernandina.