Floreana was the first island in the Galapagos archipelago to be colonized by people. Ecuador took possession of the Galapagos Islands in 1832 and established a penal colony in Floreana Island. When Darwin visited the Galapagos in 1835, the second island he landed on was Floreana. During his stay, Darwin met with some of the convicts and explored the highlands of the island.
5/24/2022
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Urbina Bay & Tagus Cove, Isabela Island
We continued our journey along Isabela’s coastline. On our fourth day, we visited two unique sites located at the slopes of some active volcanoes. After dinner, National Geographic Endeavour II anchored in Urbina Bay. In the morning, we went for a short walk along the uplifted coastline of the Alcedo Volcano. It didn’t take long until we were greeted by the iconic Galapagos giant tortoise. These dome-shelled tortoises are only found around this volcano. We also spotted beautiful land iguanas for the second time. After an hour and a half of navigation this afternoon, we anchored at the famous Tagus Cove, a popular landing spot in the past for sailors and navy ships from many countries. As we looked outside the ship, we noticed tall tuff walls from two majestic cones, the same ones that Charles Darwin explored during his visits onboard HMS Beagle. Finally, we concluded a very full and active day with water activities: kayaking, snorkeling, and a strenuous hike over the tuff cones along Darwin’s Lake.
