Today we arrived at Urbina Bay, which is located at the foot of Alcedo Volcano on Isabela Island. It was a nice, cool morning with low clouds. The wildlife sightings began early in the morning, and before breakfast we had the chance to see whales feeding in the cold waters of the Bolivar Channel. After breakfast, we headed for the shore with a gentle smile on our faces. Isabela Island is our destination today and we are ready to explore it! Urbina bay is a black sandy beach at the foot of Alcedo Volcano, and it consists of the geological formation of a dune, which is frequented by sea turtles during the breeding season. There is a large population of Pacific green sea turtles in the western Galapagos and hundreds of them lay their eggs in this tiny nesting area.
As soon as we landed, we noticed a young and curious Galapagos hawk was flying overhead. We were already very excited by the presence of sea birds and the hawk, and it was just the beginning! We started our exploration, encountering flocks of Darwin’s finches dotting the bushes. Land iguanas happen to be the highlight of the place, their territory is full of nesting burrows. We spotted two males and one female iguana just coming out of the sun and getting ready to enjoy some shade.
In the afternoon we anchored and explored Tagus Cove. Tagus is one of the best places to find two iconic species of the Galapagos Islands: the flightless cormorant and the Galapagos penguin. While snorkeling we had the opportunity to swim with sea turtles and may species of tropical fish. This is a great opportunity for snorkeling, kayaking and zodiac ride and hike to the top of the cove. There are high cliffs surrounding the cove, which are home to many nesting sea birds. As we explored the water, we spotted sea turtles, flightless cormorants, penguins, and the reclusive Port Jackson’s shark.
