Isabela Island

This island is the largest in the archipelago and is formed by five active shield volcanoes. This is our second day in the western part of this island and this morning we disembarked at a black beach; from here we offered a long walk to explore the uplifting that occurred in 1954, as part of the volcanic activity that occurs very often in this region. Shells of sea worms and barnacles are everywhere, attached to the exposed rocks; head corals are found 12 feet above sea level and this is the strongest evidence of this natural phenomenon. On the same walk we saw Galápagos tortoises and land iguanas as well.

This destination also offers our visitors a good chance for bird watching, and we spotted many species such as finches, mockingbirds, flycatchers, hawks and warblers. Everyone was happy and ended up on a black beach for swimming activities. The water was very refreshing; and to make it even more interesting, blue-footed boobies, penguins and pelicans were feeding on the same beach and they seemed unbothered by our presence. This is a unique experience that only a place like Galápagos can offer to its visitors.

For our afternoon activities we sailed south to a different location on Isabela known as Tagus Cove; this place has been visited by buccaneers, explorers and scientific groups since the early 1800s, as evidenced by the graffiti left behind, the oldest from 1836.

We offered kayaking, snorkeling, zodiac rides and a hike to see Darwin’s Lake from the top of a spatter cone. As we were heading to the summit we passed some very dense vegetation with endemic and native plants. As we were heading down, birds were singing in order to attract a mate; they are taking advantage of the good conditions still present in Galápagos. This is a bit unusual for this time of the year, because the water is still warm and it rains from time to time. So the abundance of food for land animals is at its best.

As we were coming back to the National Geographic Endeavour a beautiful rainbow appeared in one of Isabela’s volcanoes, making the day unforgettable.