Isabela & Fernandina Islands
After an overnight navigation, the National Geographic Polaris arrived to northern Isabela Island very early in the morning. We had in front of our eyes a totally new landscape, with young shield volcanoes and black lava fields around us. Navigating around the northern tip of Isabela involves crossing the Equator line and – of course – a little ceremony was due, so our guests were surprised and delighted to realize that they had suddenly become “shellbacks” and were entitled to a certificate to prove their new “status.”
We arrived to place known as Punta Vicente Roca, which is part of a rich upwelling area that causes an explosion of life amidst the dramatic volcanic landscapes. So, we set off for a Zodiac ride exploration as our second activity this morning. The coastline offered us various endemic Galápagos species, which fortunately today we did not have difficulty finding. Pacific green sea turtles were all around our Zodiacs, and several Galápagos penguins and flightless cormorants also swam along past us, trying to catch some prey. The resident colony of Galápagos fur seals had decided that the heat of the day was enough to remain on land, so they started to move on to the cooler waters of the coast. With such activity and scenery, this Zodiac ride certainly became a delightful experience!
Afterwards, and despite slightly murky waters, some of our guests decided to give it a go and snorkeled at Punta Vicente Roca, where they had a very successful outing with brief encounters with sea turtles and penguins.
As the day went by, we moved on to our next stop of the day: Punta Espinosa, which is located in northeastern side of Fernandina Island. This island is known to be one of the largest pristine islands in the whole world. From the ship, it did not look very appealing! The island itself looks like one huge single shield volcano, or an “overturned salad bowl,” which could be a more accurate description of the shape of Fernandina.
Upon landing in this desolate place, we soon discovered an explosion of life along its shoreline. We were amazed by the countless (and very large!) marine iguana colonies seen everywhere. Several groups of Galápagos sea lions entertained us along the way. Some sea lions patrolled their territories; females nursed their pups, while others simply dozed in the sun. A seemingly bored pup decided to pull the tail of some marine iguana, to the latter’s disapproval. Not far from all this we spotted a small group of Flightless cormorants nesting by the trail, and in the distance we could observe a flock of Blue-footed boobies diving “kamikaze” style for some food. Simply spectacular!
As the day was coming to an end, we had to leave Fernandina Island back in peace, a peace that truly seemed to be lost in time and eternal.
After an overnight navigation, the National Geographic Polaris arrived to northern Isabela Island very early in the morning. We had in front of our eyes a totally new landscape, with young shield volcanoes and black lava fields around us. Navigating around the northern tip of Isabela involves crossing the Equator line and – of course – a little ceremony was due, so our guests were surprised and delighted to realize that they had suddenly become “shellbacks” and were entitled to a certificate to prove their new “status.”
We arrived to place known as Punta Vicente Roca, which is part of a rich upwelling area that causes an explosion of life amidst the dramatic volcanic landscapes. So, we set off for a Zodiac ride exploration as our second activity this morning. The coastline offered us various endemic Galápagos species, which fortunately today we did not have difficulty finding. Pacific green sea turtles were all around our Zodiacs, and several Galápagos penguins and flightless cormorants also swam along past us, trying to catch some prey. The resident colony of Galápagos fur seals had decided that the heat of the day was enough to remain on land, so they started to move on to the cooler waters of the coast. With such activity and scenery, this Zodiac ride certainly became a delightful experience!
Afterwards, and despite slightly murky waters, some of our guests decided to give it a go and snorkeled at Punta Vicente Roca, where they had a very successful outing with brief encounters with sea turtles and penguins.
As the day went by, we moved on to our next stop of the day: Punta Espinosa, which is located in northeastern side of Fernandina Island. This island is known to be one of the largest pristine islands in the whole world. From the ship, it did not look very appealing! The island itself looks like one huge single shield volcano, or an “overturned salad bowl,” which could be a more accurate description of the shape of Fernandina.
Upon landing in this desolate place, we soon discovered an explosion of life along its shoreline. We were amazed by the countless (and very large!) marine iguana colonies seen everywhere. Several groups of Galápagos sea lions entertained us along the way. Some sea lions patrolled their territories; females nursed their pups, while others simply dozed in the sun. A seemingly bored pup decided to pull the tail of some marine iguana, to the latter’s disapproval. Not far from all this we spotted a small group of Flightless cormorants nesting by the trail, and in the distance we could observe a flock of Blue-footed boobies diving “kamikaze” style for some food. Simply spectacular!
As the day was coming to an end, we had to leave Fernandina Island back in peace, a peace that truly seemed to be lost in time and eternal.
