Early this morning we arrived to the western realm of Galapagos. The two islands in the west: Fernandina and Isabela, are also the youngest in the archipelago.
After breakfast we got ashore on Fernandina Island. There we were greeted by the largest colonies of Galapagos marine iguanas in the archipelago. This morning there were many adults and also some of the first newborns near the water’s edge where they can find food.
Along the path on Punta Espinoza there were also Galapagos sea lions as well as Galapagos flightless cormorants resting on land while the occasional green sea turtle swam along the coast in the turquoise blue waters.
As we left Fernandina behind, we headed towards Isabela Island, the largest in the archipelago. Early in the afternoon we arrived to Punta Vicente Roca and there we went snorkeling with sea turtles. This afternoon we were very lucky to share the water with Galapagos penguins that swam near us. The water temperature was very warm for this time of the year, so it was very pleasant to swim here. After snorkeling we returned to this location to go on a Zodiac ride where we observed marine iguanas, Galapagos fur seals, blue footed boobies, and magnificent frigate birds.
We ended our day crossing the Equator line while admiring the volcanic landscape of a volcano on one side and on the other one, the sun going behind the mist.
