It is early in the morning and we are navigating around Bolivar Channel. We have Fernandina Island in the west and Isabela Island in the east. Our destination is the foot of Alcedo Volcano on western Isabela Island. Isabela is the largest of the islands in the Galápagos. It is larger than the rest of the islands put together! This island is our destination and we´ll be disembarking and exploring after breakfast.
We had a wet landing at Urbina Bay on a sandy beach. This region is home to thousands of Pacific green sea turtles and the beach is one of their main nesting sites. It is the beginning of the breeding season and we have seen turtles mating and some nests. This population of turtles happens to be the largest of the Pacific Ocean. Some of these turtles spend their lives foraging in these nutrient rich waters in western Galápagos. Others make long journeys to South America and Central America.
Moments after we landed we started to walk on the shore of Isabela Island. Our first sightings were flocks of Darwin’s finches feeding off the ground and others feeding off the berries from the bushes. The foot of Volcán Alcedo is home to a large colony of land iguanas. We spotted many of them basking by the trail. Some of them were still resting in their burrows.
Later on after lunch we anchored in a Tagus Cove. It has the scenic view of volcanoes and the dry forest. High cliffs with layers of volcanic ash make up this marvelous landscape. Many sea birds form colonies all year round upon the layers of ash. At the time of disembarking, some of us boarded kayaks for a different type of exploration along the cliffs and among the colonies of flightless cormorants. For the rest of us, there was an opportunity to explore by snorkeling. There were many wonderful surprises along the way, including sea turtles, flightless cormorants, and penguins.
It is a very special feeling being surrounded by all these fearless creatures!
