Today was our second day on the western part of the archipelago and we began this fantastic day with an early morning visit to Urbina Bay. Located at the western coast of Isabela Island, Urbina Bay is of great geological interest because in 1954 almost half a square mile of the marine reef off the coast was uplifted almost instantaneously by as much as 16 feet!
A comfortable wet landing at a black sandy beach was the start of the exploration and tracks of the Pacific green sea turtle were seen at the beach where we could clearly observe the place the eggs were laid. Once we started the hike into the dry forest, the great surprise of the morning was a Galapagos giant tortoise that was enjoying the shade of a small green thorn bush! Farther along the trail we saw different kinds of land birds-Galapagos mocking birds, ground finches, Galapagos flycatchers and yellow warblers. As we reached the farthest point of the trail we enjoyed seeing the Galapagos land iguanas. Several males were coming out of their burrows and one decided to block the trail and then take over our job leading the group for a few yards! To our delight two female land iguanas were close to the trail looking for a shady area. Although it was early, we noticed how strong the sun is at the equator.
We went back on board for a well-deserved breakfast. After that there was the option of going back to the black sandy beach and enjoy swimming. The water was delightful with a temperature of 79F!
Once everybody was back on board the National Geographic Islander we pulled anchor and started navigation to our next destination, Tagus Cove. Over the centuries wayfarers have found a sheltered harbor at Tagus Cove bay. This area of Isabela Island was visited by Charles Darwin during his visit to the archipelago in 1835. The afternoon was filled up with options, from Kayaking to deep water snorkeling, a Zodiac ride along this amazing coastline, or a scenic hike up the rim of a tuff cone. Our guests were delighted with every single option and I was fortunate to lead one of the snorkeling groups today. Although we encountered rough seas at the beginning, we tried a second time in a different area and enjoyed the magic of the underwater world as we got to swim with flightless Cormorants, Galapagos Penguins and sea turtles!
The next activity of the afternoon was a marvelous hike with great weather conditions. Once on top we enjoyed taking amazing panoramic pictures of Darwin’s lake. The scenery at this location is just overwhelming and once we reached the end of the trail, the beauty of the view of the northern part of Isabela Island is breathtaking! The magic of the Galapagos Islands remains in our minds, another happy day in paradise!
