Southern Isabela Island
Our morning call got us navigating along the southern side of Bolivar channel, an area hardly explored and visited due its far away location. Most of the ships that cruise in the Galápagos waters hardly ever get here; fortunately, our ship and its traveling capabilities make this an easy task for us.
After breakfast we disembarked on a black beach formed mostly from the erosion of the nearby lava flows. The volcanoes on the horizon adorned the peaceful landscape that in other times was fully covered with incandescent lava flowing downhill towards the ocean.
Bahia Urbina, our specific location for the morning, has a history of geological events too. Back in 1954 an abrupt uplift caused by tectonic plates in motion pushed as much as eighteen feet of new land above the sea level. As you can imagine, all kinds of underwater organisms are found nowadays, being the lasting proof of such an event. It is totally surprising to find a sand dollar half buried on the ground after walking at least a mile into the dry forest, characteristic of this area of Isabela Island.
As we walked into the forest, land iguanas were actively walking looking for food. Footprints everywhere gave credit to their constant presence on the area, giving them rightful ownership of this new land over any other species that might appear.
The beach afterwards became a very popular spot among the guests; the breaking waves at the shore are always popular with kids, who delightfully rolled their bodies on them and body surfed to high grounds.
The afternoon was spent on a nearby destination on Southern Isabela, Punta Moreno. It was equally surprising to be able to walk on lava flows that extend as long as you can see at the horizon. Fooling us with their dormant appearances, the volcanoes on this side of the island are among the most active in the world.
As for the walk at Punta Moreno, it rewarded us with many highlights such as brackish water lagoons where mangrove and some other plants have found their niche, giving protection to birds looking for a bit of shade in this otherwise inhospitable territory.
Flamingoes were among the highlights for the afternoon, as their presence in the largest of the lagoons got our attention like neon lights on a dark street.
The Zodiac exploration of the nearby waterways gave us all great pictures of golden and marbled rays and dozens of sea turtles. After we left, one can’t help but wonder if this was all real, or we just had one of the best dreams we could ever hope for!
