Today we started our day surrounded by huge shield volcanoes located in the western area of the Galapagos. Our first outing of the day was at Urbina Bay, and we started with a challenging hike along the rocky coast of this site. During our walk we learned that an unusual event happened in Urbina. A massive uplift of the seabed occurred in 1954, about 2 square kilometers ended up rising out of the water, leaving many marine organisms on land, such as huge coral heads and tubeworms. It was an unbelievable experience to observe this coral, which nowadays is surrounded by very dense vegetation that includes yellow cordia trees, poison apple trees, and one of my favorite flowers, the Galapagos cotton flowers. On our way along the trail, we spotted several bright yellow land iguanas and giant tortoises from Alcedo volcano. There were many land birds as Galapagos hawk, ground finches, flycatchers and mockingbirds singing and flying over the trail. As our early outing came to a close, we ended our visit with a refreshing dip in the ocean, at the same beach where we had disembarked earlier.
In the afternoon we continued with our activities, which were kayaking and snorkeling on a different location in Isabela Island, called Tagus Cove. The conditions were not the best; we had calm, warm waters, but the visibility was limited. However, we did have the chance to see Galapagos penguins on the rocks and flightless cormorants diving in the bay. Snorkelers also discovered that the sea turtles were feeding on the algae, and the penguins were quickly pursuing some small fishes. Even without perfect conditions, it was a fun and interesting experience.
Later on, we did a fast hike to the viewpoint in Tagus Cove. On our way to the summit, we had the chance to take great pictures of the landscape that includes Darwin’s lake and Tagus Cove. As we reached the top, we were overwhelmed by the beautiful scenery. The sun was setting behind Fernandina Island, painting the sky with colors that our guests will never forget. As we walked back to the beach to return to the ship, we realized how lucky we were to experience this magical place with all its inhabitants.
