Puerto Villamil, Southern Isabela
This was a very exciting and active day! Right after breakfast, the “faster and further hikers” headed enthusiastically for the fisherman’s dock .We had an extremely low tide this morning, so this was the only spot accessible for disembarkation. We loaded into pick up truck taxis and took a 40 minute bumpy ride up the slopes of Volcan Sierra Negra. The second group of hikers, the “to the rim hikers,” disembarked right on the heels of the first and were soon also bumping along in the pickups. All of those who chose the volcano hike option got to see the still fresh lava flows of the last volcanic eruption that occurred between October 22 – 30, 2005. We had perfect weather for the outing: cool damp garua clouds to protect us from the sun which conveniently lifted so we could see the caldera rim and floor once we had reached the rim.
Another group of our passengers chose a more relaxing morning. Some stayed on the ship to read and rest and others joined our nature excursions. We started at 9:30 a.m. with a lovely Zodiac ride along the coast of a group of islets in front of the town of Puerto Villamil. Here we found a big flock of blue footed boobies, some penguins and a whole gang of sea lions resting inside a local fishing boat!
At 10:30 a.m. others guests joined us to take a drive out of town to visit the Wall of Tears. This impressive lava rock structure was built during the 1940’s when Villamil was a penal colony. We took pictures of the wall and of a charming cemetery overlooking the beautiful long white sandy beach.
In the afternoon, we visited the tortoise rearing center and learned of the efforts to increase the number of tortoises and repatriate them to the wild. Then we explored the town, shopped or biked. As the sunset and the nearly full moon rose, we enjoyed cold beer and sodas, or natural coconut water, and danced and played volley ball on the beach! What a day. We were all very happy, feeling great and ready for another full day tomorrow on Floreana Island.
This was a very exciting and active day! Right after breakfast, the “faster and further hikers” headed enthusiastically for the fisherman’s dock .We had an extremely low tide this morning, so this was the only spot accessible for disembarkation. We loaded into pick up truck taxis and took a 40 minute bumpy ride up the slopes of Volcan Sierra Negra. The second group of hikers, the “to the rim hikers,” disembarked right on the heels of the first and were soon also bumping along in the pickups. All of those who chose the volcano hike option got to see the still fresh lava flows of the last volcanic eruption that occurred between October 22 – 30, 2005. We had perfect weather for the outing: cool damp garua clouds to protect us from the sun which conveniently lifted so we could see the caldera rim and floor once we had reached the rim.
Another group of our passengers chose a more relaxing morning. Some stayed on the ship to read and rest and others joined our nature excursions. We started at 9:30 a.m. with a lovely Zodiac ride along the coast of a group of islets in front of the town of Puerto Villamil. Here we found a big flock of blue footed boobies, some penguins and a whole gang of sea lions resting inside a local fishing boat!
At 10:30 a.m. others guests joined us to take a drive out of town to visit the Wall of Tears. This impressive lava rock structure was built during the 1940’s when Villamil was a penal colony. We took pictures of the wall and of a charming cemetery overlooking the beautiful long white sandy beach.
In the afternoon, we visited the tortoise rearing center and learned of the efforts to increase the number of tortoises and repatriate them to the wild. Then we explored the town, shopped or biked. As the sunset and the nearly full moon rose, we enjoyed cold beer and sodas, or natural coconut water, and danced and played volley ball on the beach! What a day. We were all very happy, feeling great and ready for another full day tomorrow on Floreana Island.
