Southern Isabela Island
What a wonderful day! We found ourselves in the southwestern area of Isabela. Our visitor site in the morning was Urbina Bay. An interesting volcanic event happened in this place. A big portion of the coastline of this area was underwater until 1954. The magma pressure of the nearby volcano uplifted the coastline to about 10 to 15 feet above the surface.
We were searching for land iguanas and Galápagos tortoises in their natural state. Today we were very lucky as we were smoothly showered by a gentle rainy breeze at the end of our hike. Here we had two optional walks – a long and short one. They both were great and we ended at a black sandy beach, where we got in the water for snorkeling and swimming. The water temperature was awesome around 80F.
Back on board we continued to our next destination, Punta Moreno, named after one of our former presidents. This place is like stepping on another planet, extensive lava flows with a tremendous array of shapes. Soon after a few hundred yards we found the miracle of life, a huge bubble has collapsed and underwater tunnels feed this place with salt water. This oasis of green vegetation allows the existence of a unique ecosystem which is a perfect environment for greater flamingos. These colorful birds were the highlight of our hike. Then we continued with a Zodiac ride, right before getting back onboard.
What a wonderful day in this piece of heaven on earth.
