Isabela and Fernandina Islands
Today was a memorable day for a lot of our guests on board the Islander. We finally crossed the equator line and became seasoned sailors! We awoke sailing around the northern tip of Isabela Island, one of the youngest and most beautiful islands in the archipelago. We reached a place called Punta Vicente Roca, where we expected to have an adventurous Zodiac ride and as soon as we got there that is exactly what we did. We all embarked our Zodiacs to explore the coasts of Ecuador Volcano, where we encountered fur sea lions, sea turtles, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, brown noddy terns, Galapágos penguins and also the very elusive oceanic sunfish! After this marvelous and productive Zodiac ride, we were ready to jump in the water and enjoy our snorkeling activity. Today’s activity was for the brave since this is the coolest place in the Galapágos - despite this, the experience of snorkeling among sea turtles was worth every shiver!
Once we returned to the Islander, we found to our delight that the hotel staff had prepared a delicious Ecuadorian lunch, so a nice siesta was required after it. Meanwhile, we sailed on to our next destination, Fernandina Island. This is the youngest island, the jewel of the Galapágos. No plants or animals have ever been introduced in this area. Iit is indeed one of the most protected islands in the world. We had the privilege to walk around this pristine area watching animals in their natural habitat, the way they should be on all other islands. The sea lions were resting under the bushes, the hawks were flying around looking for food, thousands of iguanas (literally) were basking in the sun; but the real stars on land were the flightless cormorants feeding their chicks. We got to see two colonies of cormorants, true examples of natural selection! This is a perfect place to just relax and stroll on the beach and new lava rocks of this island, so we did that and enjoyed peaceful moments we will never forget.
Today was a memorable day for a lot of our guests on board the Islander. We finally crossed the equator line and became seasoned sailors! We awoke sailing around the northern tip of Isabela Island, one of the youngest and most beautiful islands in the archipelago. We reached a place called Punta Vicente Roca, where we expected to have an adventurous Zodiac ride and as soon as we got there that is exactly what we did. We all embarked our Zodiacs to explore the coasts of Ecuador Volcano, where we encountered fur sea lions, sea turtles, Nazca boobies, blue-footed boobies, pelicans, brown noddy terns, Galapágos penguins and also the very elusive oceanic sunfish! After this marvelous and productive Zodiac ride, we were ready to jump in the water and enjoy our snorkeling activity. Today’s activity was for the brave since this is the coolest place in the Galapágos - despite this, the experience of snorkeling among sea turtles was worth every shiver!
Once we returned to the Islander, we found to our delight that the hotel staff had prepared a delicious Ecuadorian lunch, so a nice siesta was required after it. Meanwhile, we sailed on to our next destination, Fernandina Island. This is the youngest island, the jewel of the Galapágos. No plants or animals have ever been introduced in this area. Iit is indeed one of the most protected islands in the world. We had the privilege to walk around this pristine area watching animals in their natural habitat, the way they should be on all other islands. The sea lions were resting under the bushes, the hawks were flying around looking for food, thousands of iguanas (literally) were basking in the sun; but the real stars on land were the flightless cormorants feeding their chicks. We got to see two colonies of cormorants, true examples of natural selection! This is a perfect place to just relax and stroll on the beach and new lava rocks of this island, so we did that and enjoyed peaceful moments we will never forget.
