We continued our journey around the famous Galapagos Islands and visited the western island called, Isabela.
We woke up anchored in Urbina Bay and the ocean was as calm as the water in a swimming pool. After a delicious breakfast, we landed on the site for a hike along the shore and then we would commence deeper onto the island to find some of the mysterious animals. This location was uplifted in 1954 due to intense volcanic activity, so everywhere we stepped on this morning, used to be the seabed and now it is meters above sea level. Inland we found some iguanas, but the surprise of the day was finding a giant tortoise for the first time.
Later when the sun rose, we enjoyed some time at the beach to refresh, and for the younger explorers there were Zodiac driving lessons.
During the afternoon the National Geographic Islander moved to Tagus cove, our next destination and visitor site.
Here, hundreds of years ago, the whalers and other navigators frequented this location as it is one of the most protected bays around Galapagos and is close to whaling areas. The tradition that started in the 18th century has been kept, in which navigators celebrated the arrival of their ship by putting graffiti on the side of the bay.
This afternoon had quite a lot of activities. First we had kayaking along the bay for some, and snorkeling for others. To finish the beautiful day, we took a hike on the island to see Darwin’s lake and then Zodiac rides were offered to complete the afternoon.
