Fernandina and Isabela Islands
Today’s exploration took us to the youngest area of the archipelago: Isabela and Fernandina Islands. The best way to begin the Galapagos Islands adventure was a pre-breakfast activity in order to find marine mammals along the coast of Volcan Wolf. A magnificent landscape decorated by big shield volcanoes was the dominant view of the place.
While navigating, the ocean had a big surprise ready for us: A big Sei whale was swimming in the navigation route, it looked so tame that it was possible to see them from a close distance. Farther up north, more surprises from the sea: a lot of sea birds displayed their flying skills for all the guests that woke up early in the morning.
The next adventure of the morning was to get into a zodiac ride along the cliffs of Punta Vicente Roca. The marvels of the Galapagos Islands were shown in a magnificent display of blue footed boobies resting on the cliffs, big marine iguanas sleeping, Galapagos penguins swimming, and Pacific green sea turtles taking their heads out the water. Different volcanic structures found in the place made us remember the magnificence of volcanic activity.
After a charming zodiac ride, it was time to get our gear ready for deep water snorkeling. As soon as we plunged, the marvels of one of the biggest marine reserves of the world were revealed to our eyes: colorful reef fishes covering black lava rocks all over the place, playful baby sea lions swimming to the guests, and dozens of green sea turtles swimming from one place to the other.
In the afternoon, exploration got better, and the best way to begin was to take a hike into the lava fields of Punta Espinosa at Fernandina Island. Young lava flows welcomed us since the very beginning of exploration, and hundreds of marine iguanas were the perfect companions for a fantastic adventure. At the end of the trail, the island was going to reveal its biggest surprise: flightless cormorants.
At the end of the adventure, the magic of the dry season brought us a perfect clear sky for a marvelous sunset. The west of the Archipelago is a place of ample surprises, and today we experience part of those wonders at the living paradise of the Galapagos Islands.
