Isabela Island
We woke up with the hope of good weather, as the adventure of the week, the hike to Sierra Negra volcano, was no longer a promise but reality. Our delightful breakfast gave us enough energy for the start. Today a few of us decided to relax and use the morning hours to enjoy a Zodiac ride among the coast with a stop at Puerto Villamil, a peaceful town with one of the most beautiful and longest white sandy beaches of Galápagos. The majority signed up for the hike, and as soon as we disembarked, we got into the taxis and white pick-ups where the most adventurous ones decided to enjoy the ride in the back.
As we left town, there was a dramatic change, and we saw a huge lava flow, where to our amazement houses had been built. On the drive up we experienced the climate and vegetation changes with the higher altitude.
We were all relieved to see that the clouds that were covering the volcano disappeared as we reached the start of our hike. A gorgeous blue sky was the best ingredient of our day. Half of the group made the seven mile hike to the south eastern rim of Sierra Negra, which just erupted last October. At the end of the trail, we discovered scoria rocks that were blown here from the eruption as well as the famous Pele’s Hairs. From our position on the rim, we looked into the massive caldera recently filled with the fresh lava flow. From some of the central vents we could see that steam was still rising. Looking back along the rim we could make out the rest of our group who had chosen the 3- mile hike to the rim of the caldera.
I was so proud of our group of hikers; there were families with young children and everybody reached their goal to look into the fantastic volcanic landscape. Sara, Stuart, Alejandro, Veronica, Hunter, Amanda and Benjamin had an experience they will never forget and reminded us that life is a great opportunity to learn!
Back on board the Islander, we took a refreshing shower and eagerly enjoyed a bountiful lunch. After a deserved ‘siesta,’ we disembarked for our next visit. At the giant tortoises breeding center, we learned about the efforts of scientists to increase the population size of the endangered tortoises. Back in town, there was time to play soccer, swim and shop.
Another great day ends, and we have stored away many memories in our minds, as memories such as these make for a fulfilling life.
We woke up with the hope of good weather, as the adventure of the week, the hike to Sierra Negra volcano, was no longer a promise but reality. Our delightful breakfast gave us enough energy for the start. Today a few of us decided to relax and use the morning hours to enjoy a Zodiac ride among the coast with a stop at Puerto Villamil, a peaceful town with one of the most beautiful and longest white sandy beaches of Galápagos. The majority signed up for the hike, and as soon as we disembarked, we got into the taxis and white pick-ups where the most adventurous ones decided to enjoy the ride in the back.
As we left town, there was a dramatic change, and we saw a huge lava flow, where to our amazement houses had been built. On the drive up we experienced the climate and vegetation changes with the higher altitude.
We were all relieved to see that the clouds that were covering the volcano disappeared as we reached the start of our hike. A gorgeous blue sky was the best ingredient of our day. Half of the group made the seven mile hike to the south eastern rim of Sierra Negra, which just erupted last October. At the end of the trail, we discovered scoria rocks that were blown here from the eruption as well as the famous Pele’s Hairs. From our position on the rim, we looked into the massive caldera recently filled with the fresh lava flow. From some of the central vents we could see that steam was still rising. Looking back along the rim we could make out the rest of our group who had chosen the 3- mile hike to the rim of the caldera.
I was so proud of our group of hikers; there were families with young children and everybody reached their goal to look into the fantastic volcanic landscape. Sara, Stuart, Alejandro, Veronica, Hunter, Amanda and Benjamin had an experience they will never forget and reminded us that life is a great opportunity to learn!
Back on board the Islander, we took a refreshing shower and eagerly enjoyed a bountiful lunch. After a deserved ‘siesta,’ we disembarked for our next visit. At the giant tortoises breeding center, we learned about the efforts of scientists to increase the population size of the endangered tortoises. Back in town, there was time to play soccer, swim and shop.
Another great day ends, and we have stored away many memories in our minds, as memories such as these make for a fulfilling life.
