Isabela Island
We had a peaceful night anchored off Punta Espinoza, Fernandina and the Captain and Boson hauled the anchor up at 0430 and set course for Urbina Bay located at the base of Alcedo Volcano. Following a hearty breakfast we disembarked on a steep black sand beach. Our trusty “pangueros” (the Zodiac drivers) waited for the waves to calm and then took us quickly to shore.
Naturalists Jeffo, Greg and Aura took the longer two mile loop at either fast or medium speeds, and I lead a smaller group on the shorter, slower walk. We all had a fabulous outing, seeing signs of the sudden 1954 uplift of this entire section of the coast; there were bleached coral heads on the long walk and bleached out marine encrustations and tube worms on the lava rocks along both trails. We found one giant tortoise sound asleep in the shade of a poison manzanilla tree and many large yellow land iguanas. Back at the beach we enjoyed playing in the surf and were successful getting everyone back off the beach into the Zodiacs between the pounding waves without getting cameras or clothing wet!
In the afternoon we had several options: first we could snorkel or kayak, then there was a second round of kayaking or we could hike or take a Zodiac ride along the coast. Those who braved the chilly waters to snorkel were delighted with their experience; they swam with a playful young sea lion, and saw penguins, cormorants and turtles besides the many species of fish. The kayakers paddled along the coast and found many blue-footed boobies, noddy terns, cormorants and pelicans perched on the rocky cliffs. Sea lions, penguins and sea turtles swam around the boats to our delight.
We offered fast and medium speed hikes at Tagus Cove and enjoyed the easy terrain through a palo santo forest and the wonderful views from high up the trail. Those who chose the Zodiac option where with me, and we had a wonderful Zodiac ride, in the cool of the late afternoon. We found a group of nesting cormorants, and several brown pelicans that posed for our photos. Most of the penguins were in the water, but two had climbed onto the rocks and were easy to photograph. Dozens of blue-footed boobies perched on the cliffs and sea lions and sea turtles swam around us. As the sunset behind Fernandina we all returned contentedly to the National Geographic Islander after yet another very satisfying day in the enchanted islands of Galápagos.
