Urbina Bay & Tagus Cove
We spent the whole day exploring beautiful Isabela Island. This big island is formed by six volcanoes, and is one of the youngest and most active islands in the archipelago. It has many secondary cones and new lava fields. Every single cove, every beach, every landing area of this island is completely different from the other.
Urbina Bay, this morning’s visitors’ site, is very interesting geologically. As recently as 1954, an uplifting occurred and the area that we walked on came out of the water in a matter of a few days. This place is very interesting botanically as well, for its newly exposed land has been colonized by many endemic and native plants. In terms of conservation, a very successful program to eradicate introduced goats took place on this island for several years. As a result, the populations of Galápagos land iguanas have been recovering very well.
The highlight of the morning, and a big surprise as well, was finding a Galápagos giant tortoise on the trail. Later we found a second one! These sightings made our day!
After the walk we enjoyed the black lava landing beach by swimming in its refreshing waters. Just as we were heading back to the ship we were notified by Expedition Leader Carlos Romero that he had spotted a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins! We could not miss this great opportunity! We went closer with our Zodiacs and had the dolphins jumping and bow riding right in front our eyes.
In the afternoon we anchored in Tagus Cove. In this peaceful place all kind of activities were offered. We practiced snorkeling and kayaking; some went for a late hike to enjoy the view of Darwin’s Lake while others enjoyed the sighting of penguins via Zodiac rides. The volcanic scenery in this cove is unforgettable. At the moment I am writing this report we are underway, leaving the western side of the archipelago behind. I am still thinking about the tortoises and the iguanas, the dolphins and the penguins… thinking about this far away land, a magical place that is a box full of wonderful surprises.
