Isabela & Fernandina Islands
Located at the westernmost position of the Galápagos archipelago, Isabela and Fernandina are considered the youngest and most eruptive islands. With six active volcanoes, these islands are still connected with the hot spot, which was responsible for the creation of all the islands millions of years ago.
After an optional early wake up, a group of our guests visited the sky deck to look for sea mammals and to enjoy a marvelous landscape of the collapsed Ecuador volcano. The weather conditions were excellent and the sea was very calm, permitting us to observe sea lions, sea birds and common dolphins.
After breakfast, from the bridge our guests observed as the GPS changed the coordinates when we crossed the Equator line, to the southern hemisphere, and afterwards they participated in the traditional ceremony, dancing the limbo underneath the Ecuadorian flag.
Our first activity began with an incredible dinghy ride along Punta Vicente Roca, near Isabela Island. We observed the huge walls of the Ecuador volcano and on the rocks along the shore, a group of marine iguanas warming with the first rays of the sun. In the water, sea turtles swam around us and on the bottom, like rocks, others rested pacifically.
We headed to the southern part of the island, where a group of baby fur sea lions played in the water while higher on the rocks, a hawk observed them, as if deciding which of them to eat. We came back to the National Geographic Islander to prepare our snorkeling gear and immediately we headed to swim with penguins, sea turtles and cormorants. The best during the snorkeling were the penguins. Working in groups, they were chasing small fish swimming very fast, like small torpedoes.
In the afternoon, we landed at Fernandina Island. The tide was high; therefore we could disembark on the small dock in Punta Espinosa (this area is inaccessible in the low tides because it was uplifted during 1970’s). Walking along the black rocks we saw hoards of marine iguanas everywhere. Some of them, hugging each other, gave us the sensation they were in a romantic posture but certainly they adopt their position to keep warmer.
We crossed in front of the cormorants’ territory and observed as they, after fishing, dried their short wings and excreted salt from the eyes. Just before finishing we found a snake lying on the rocks. It was only observing us, a rare behavior, because they always avoid the humans’ presence.
We finished our walking just before the sunset, watching as the sun disappeared behind the volcano of Fernandina and taking a group picture of all of us, tired but very happy, because today was an amazing day.
