Isabela and Fernandina Island
Rising straight from the sea as a sea-tower itself, Roca Redonda claimed our attention early in the morning. Solitary and washed by the waves, the tower rises like an observation point from a castle, as a beacon for the water-palace, Galápagos. Due to the upwelling around this volcanic peak, several seabird species like Galápagos shearwaters, Nazca boobies, frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, phalaropes, and storm petrels nest on it and were swarming around. While visiting the Enchanted Islands, Herman Melville calculated Roca Redonda to be 250 feet high, and later, he imagined climbing it.
The marine life combination along Punta Vicente Roca with its dramatic landscape can be unreal. We spotted the oceanic sunfish, the second largest ocean fish, with a total length up to almost 10 feet and a weight of up to 2 tons, as well as sea turtles, that were spotted all over. Salvador Dali could have been inspired by a penguin, a sea-going lizard, and a marine iguana all sitting next to each other on top of lava.
In the afternoon, the magical and youngest island of the Galápagos, Fernandina, showed us, with its barren landscape, how the world could be. As we walked on the pahoe-hoe lava flows, the endemic lava cactus was growing and preparing soil for other plants that will arrive in the future. Peacefully, the flightless cormorants were nesting, and the graceful sea lions were playing. Serenely, the marine iguanas, after feeding on the algae, were spitting in order to desalinate.
I didn’t think our day could get any better until we saw a terrific sunset.
Rising straight from the sea as a sea-tower itself, Roca Redonda claimed our attention early in the morning. Solitary and washed by the waves, the tower rises like an observation point from a castle, as a beacon for the water-palace, Galápagos. Due to the upwelling around this volcanic peak, several seabird species like Galápagos shearwaters, Nazca boobies, frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, phalaropes, and storm petrels nest on it and were swarming around. While visiting the Enchanted Islands, Herman Melville calculated Roca Redonda to be 250 feet high, and later, he imagined climbing it.
The marine life combination along Punta Vicente Roca with its dramatic landscape can be unreal. We spotted the oceanic sunfish, the second largest ocean fish, with a total length up to almost 10 feet and a weight of up to 2 tons, as well as sea turtles, that were spotted all over. Salvador Dali could have been inspired by a penguin, a sea-going lizard, and a marine iguana all sitting next to each other on top of lava.
In the afternoon, the magical and youngest island of the Galápagos, Fernandina, showed us, with its barren landscape, how the world could be. As we walked on the pahoe-hoe lava flows, the endemic lava cactus was growing and preparing soil for other plants that will arrive in the future. Peacefully, the flightless cormorants were nesting, and the graceful sea lions were playing. Serenely, the marine iguanas, after feeding on the algae, were spitting in order to desalinate.
I didn’t think our day could get any better until we saw a terrific sunset.
