Southern Isabela
This morning, while we were having breakfast on the Islander, we anchored off the small but beautiful town of Puerto Villamil. A large group of our guests were excited today, because we had some different plans: we were going to climb one of the largest active calderas in the world. Volcan Sierra Negra is one the five actives volcanoes on Isabela Island. To reach its summit is not easy; so first we took pick-up truck taxis and drove into highlands. From the trucks we had the opportunity to see the different zones of vegetation and the agriculture zone, which is not considered part of the National Park. Luckily for us, today because the road was dry, the pick-ups took us almost to the rim of the crater and cut about 2 miles off our total walk.
We hiked for an hour to reach the summit where we had a spectacular view of the immense caldera. Many lava flows told us a story of great volcanic activity during the past centuries. As I gazed at this crater, I thought about the huge amount of lava that has violently erupted from these volcanoes and I contemplated the power of nature. We humans are so insignificant in comparison.
We continued around the rim to Volcan Chico, which erupted in 1979. Here we tread carefully on the recent lava flows. They ran like hardened lava rivers which had forced their way through and over lava deposited during previous explosions. The landscape was impressive; it looks like a scene from “hell,” especially on a hot and sunny day.
The trail back seemed to go on for ever, but finally we reached where the trucks awaited us. Back in town, we visited the tortoise rearing center at the Darwin Station facilities. Here several sub-species of giant tortoises that are endangered in the wild, are being raised in captivity. When they are a few years old they will be repatriated to their natural habitat. To finish off a full and enjoyable day, we had beers in a local restaurant or took a swim from the beautiful beach. Both of these activities were incredibly refreshing for our tired bodies after the long hike. Everyone was very happy that we had made it to Volcan Chico successfully.
This morning, while we were having breakfast on the Islander, we anchored off the small but beautiful town of Puerto Villamil. A large group of our guests were excited today, because we had some different plans: we were going to climb one of the largest active calderas in the world. Volcan Sierra Negra is one the five actives volcanoes on Isabela Island. To reach its summit is not easy; so first we took pick-up truck taxis and drove into highlands. From the trucks we had the opportunity to see the different zones of vegetation and the agriculture zone, which is not considered part of the National Park. Luckily for us, today because the road was dry, the pick-ups took us almost to the rim of the crater and cut about 2 miles off our total walk.
We hiked for an hour to reach the summit where we had a spectacular view of the immense caldera. Many lava flows told us a story of great volcanic activity during the past centuries. As I gazed at this crater, I thought about the huge amount of lava that has violently erupted from these volcanoes and I contemplated the power of nature. We humans are so insignificant in comparison.
We continued around the rim to Volcan Chico, which erupted in 1979. Here we tread carefully on the recent lava flows. They ran like hardened lava rivers which had forced their way through and over lava deposited during previous explosions. The landscape was impressive; it looks like a scene from “hell,” especially on a hot and sunny day.
The trail back seemed to go on for ever, but finally we reached where the trucks awaited us. Back in town, we visited the tortoise rearing center at the Darwin Station facilities. Here several sub-species of giant tortoises that are endangered in the wild, are being raised in captivity. When they are a few years old they will be repatriated to their natural habitat. To finish off a full and enjoyable day, we had beers in a local restaurant or took a swim from the beautiful beach. Both of these activities were incredibly refreshing for our tired bodies after the long hike. Everyone was very happy that we had made it to Volcan Chico successfully.
