Isabela Island
Our expedition around the Galápagos Archipelago brought us today to Isabela Island. We spent the whole day here exploring the surroundings of Puerto Villamil; this idyllic little town is the capital of the island. Puerto Villamil, due to its delightful peace and simplicity, is a place where you can still feel first hand the refreshing and invigorating atmosphere of a traditional tropical fishing town.
In the morning, many of us took the option to take a closer look at the caldera of the near-by Sierra Negra volcano. After riding for about forty five minutes on local pick up trucks we started to walk to the rim of the volcano. A persistent misty rain was our company for the first hour of our trekking adventure. The sun finally appeared allowing us a fantastic view of the spectacular caldera of Sierra Negra volcano. This caldera is one of the largest in the world measuring five by six miles across. On the way back to town we spotted one of the most gorgeous bird species that inhabit the Galápagos Islands, the vermillion flycatcher. We were very fortunate, for we saw a couple of them working hard on the construction of a brand new nest. The sight of this colorful bird was amazing. Please take a look at today’s picture and imagine what we had the joy to see up close!
In the afternoon we went to see the giant tortoise breeding center located in the town. We observed the tortoises and learnt details about the inspirational work that has been done in order to save these wonderful creatures from extinction. While the day was finally ending, we enjoyed some drinks and shared our adventures at one of the local kiosks located near the white, long beach that fronts Puerto Villamil.
Our expedition around the Galápagos Archipelago brought us today to Isabela Island. We spent the whole day here exploring the surroundings of Puerto Villamil; this idyllic little town is the capital of the island. Puerto Villamil, due to its delightful peace and simplicity, is a place where you can still feel first hand the refreshing and invigorating atmosphere of a traditional tropical fishing town.
In the morning, many of us took the option to take a closer look at the caldera of the near-by Sierra Negra volcano. After riding for about forty five minutes on local pick up trucks we started to walk to the rim of the volcano. A persistent misty rain was our company for the first hour of our trekking adventure. The sun finally appeared allowing us a fantastic view of the spectacular caldera of Sierra Negra volcano. This caldera is one of the largest in the world measuring five by six miles across. On the way back to town we spotted one of the most gorgeous bird species that inhabit the Galápagos Islands, the vermillion flycatcher. We were very fortunate, for we saw a couple of them working hard on the construction of a brand new nest. The sight of this colorful bird was amazing. Please take a look at today’s picture and imagine what we had the joy to see up close!
In the afternoon we went to see the giant tortoise breeding center located in the town. We observed the tortoises and learnt details about the inspirational work that has been done in order to save these wonderful creatures from extinction. While the day was finally ending, we enjoyed some drinks and shared our adventures at one of the local kiosks located near the white, long beach that fronts Puerto Villamil.
