Isabela Island
This island is the largest in the Galápagos archipelago (1.771 square miles). Today we visited the southern part of this extremely diverse island. Puerto Villamil, a very picturesque small town with approximately 2000 people is its capital.
We had a big array of activities prepared for our guests. Some of our visitors climbed to the top of a nearby volcano, Sierra Negra. This is the largest volcano in the Galápagos archipelago. It has an enormous caldera (7 x 10 kilometers), which is one of largest calderas in the world. The last eruption that took place on Isabela occurred precisely on Sierra Negra. It happened last October and it lasted for eight days. The recent lava flows from the last eruption and the active fumaroles located in various places inside the caldera are really impressive.
Other guests opted to stay down in the town area. A very beautiful overcast and refreshing morning was the perfect setting to explore the surroundings of the town. From the Zodiacs we enjoyed the shorelines near the fishermen’s peer. During this ride we observed pelicans, blue footed boobies and a few Galápagos penguins. In the afternoon we all went to the famous giant tortoise breeding center of Isabela Island. In this research place we could observe the exemplary efforts the Galápagos National Park is doing in order to save these antediluvian-looking reptiles. In the way back from the center we used a boardwalk where we observe many colorful bird species. Some, like the black necked stilt seen in one of today’s pictures, were favorite photographic subjects. A cold beer or a soda while feeling the ocean breeze on our faces was a golden finale for a great day on Isabela Island.
This island is the largest in the Galápagos archipelago (1.771 square miles). Today we visited the southern part of this extremely diverse island. Puerto Villamil, a very picturesque small town with approximately 2000 people is its capital.
We had a big array of activities prepared for our guests. Some of our visitors climbed to the top of a nearby volcano, Sierra Negra. This is the largest volcano in the Galápagos archipelago. It has an enormous caldera (7 x 10 kilometers), which is one of largest calderas in the world. The last eruption that took place on Isabela occurred precisely on Sierra Negra. It happened last October and it lasted for eight days. The recent lava flows from the last eruption and the active fumaroles located in various places inside the caldera are really impressive.
Other guests opted to stay down in the town area. A very beautiful overcast and refreshing morning was the perfect setting to explore the surroundings of the town. From the Zodiacs we enjoyed the shorelines near the fishermen’s peer. During this ride we observed pelicans, blue footed boobies and a few Galápagos penguins. In the afternoon we all went to the famous giant tortoise breeding center of Isabela Island. In this research place we could observe the exemplary efforts the Galápagos National Park is doing in order to save these antediluvian-looking reptiles. In the way back from the center we used a boardwalk where we observe many colorful bird species. Some, like the black necked stilt seen in one of today’s pictures, were favorite photographic subjects. A cold beer or a soda while feeling the ocean breeze on our faces was a golden finale for a great day on Isabela Island.
