Southern Isabela Island
It was almost seven in the morning when we arrived at Bahia Urbina, a special place located on southern Isabela Island. Historically, Bahia Urbina has so much to offer; back in the fifties as long as three miles of land were uplifted up to fifteen feet above the sea level. This exposed several marine creatures almost instantly, and proved that geological events in Galápagos give little or no warning before they happen.
The same thing occurs with volcanic explosions; we spent the whole morning and afternoon surrounded by impressive volcanoes, giving us the chance to explain to our guests first hand how these islands appeared in the middle of the Pacific, almost five million years ago.
Our walk in the morning was very pleasant and it gave us up close encounters with “giant” land iguanas that were simply resting in the middle of the trail. With the beginning of the rainy season, everything is at blossom. Plants and trees are taking advantage of the little rainfall that comes only during the first three months of the year. It is a desperate race to survive, and so far, the Galápagos species have done well!
The afternoon’s visit gave many more highlights, such as flamingoes. These birds were found in the middle of lava lagoons formed by the collapsing of material on a very unstable terrain. That is the case of Punta Moreno, which is nothing but lava flows all along; when exploring its extensive territory, one comes to realize how life would literally appear anywhere!
We finished our day exploring small lagoons and water-ways formed by the mangrove and the lava; an intricate ecosystem that gave us turtles, rays and even penguins!
It was almost seven in the morning when we arrived at Bahia Urbina, a special place located on southern Isabela Island. Historically, Bahia Urbina has so much to offer; back in the fifties as long as three miles of land were uplifted up to fifteen feet above the sea level. This exposed several marine creatures almost instantly, and proved that geological events in Galápagos give little or no warning before they happen.
The same thing occurs with volcanic explosions; we spent the whole morning and afternoon surrounded by impressive volcanoes, giving us the chance to explain to our guests first hand how these islands appeared in the middle of the Pacific, almost five million years ago.
Our walk in the morning was very pleasant and it gave us up close encounters with “giant” land iguanas that were simply resting in the middle of the trail. With the beginning of the rainy season, everything is at blossom. Plants and trees are taking advantage of the little rainfall that comes only during the first three months of the year. It is a desperate race to survive, and so far, the Galápagos species have done well!
The afternoon’s visit gave many more highlights, such as flamingoes. These birds were found in the middle of lava lagoons formed by the collapsing of material on a very unstable terrain. That is the case of Punta Moreno, which is nothing but lava flows all along; when exploring its extensive territory, one comes to realize how life would literally appear anywhere!
We finished our day exploring small lagoons and water-ways formed by the mangrove and the lava; an intricate ecosystem that gave us turtles, rays and even penguins!
