Isabela and Fernandina Islands
Today’s highlights included snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and panga patrolling. It was a full and rewarding day, another set of unique experiences in the Galápagos. Overnight we left the garua mist of the Santa Cruz highlands and rough waters of Academy Bay behind us, and started the day in sunshine and calm seas off the northwest tip of Isabela, the largest island in Galápagos. While on the lookout for whales and dolphins, we admired the spectacular geology and turned from pollywogs to shellbacks as we crossed the equator.
The morning’s wildlife watching included over five Mola mola sunfish, a first for many of us, as well as up-close encounters with green sea turtles, penguins, flightless cormorants, a variety of other seabirds, Galápagos and fur sea lions, marine iguanas, schools of fish, and beds of sea urchins. Fortified by an amazing and delicious traditional Ecuadorian luncheon and for some, a siesta, we headed to Fernandina in the afternoon. A stroll along the coast brought us within great viewing of piles of marine iguanas and their charming salt-snorting ways, a beach master sea lion trying to expand his harem, and flightless cormorants busy drying their stumpy little wings and even nesting.
The day closed with a made-to-order sunset, and as I write this note to the gentle motion of the ship underway, I’m already looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures, and having the opportunity to share another day in the Galápagos with my travelers from the California Academy of Sciences and the wonderful naturalists and crew of the Islander. Who knows what exciting new sights we will get to see and share and what new photos and memories we will have collected before the next sunset!
Today’s highlights included snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and panga patrolling. It was a full and rewarding day, another set of unique experiences in the Galápagos. Overnight we left the garua mist of the Santa Cruz highlands and rough waters of Academy Bay behind us, and started the day in sunshine and calm seas off the northwest tip of Isabela, the largest island in Galápagos. While on the lookout for whales and dolphins, we admired the spectacular geology and turned from pollywogs to shellbacks as we crossed the equator.
The morning’s wildlife watching included over five Mola mola sunfish, a first for many of us, as well as up-close encounters with green sea turtles, penguins, flightless cormorants, a variety of other seabirds, Galápagos and fur sea lions, marine iguanas, schools of fish, and beds of sea urchins. Fortified by an amazing and delicious traditional Ecuadorian luncheon and for some, a siesta, we headed to Fernandina in the afternoon. A stroll along the coast brought us within great viewing of piles of marine iguanas and their charming salt-snorting ways, a beach master sea lion trying to expand his harem, and flightless cormorants busy drying their stumpy little wings and even nesting.
The day closed with a made-to-order sunset, and as I write this note to the gentle motion of the ship underway, I’m already looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures, and having the opportunity to share another day in the Galápagos with my travelers from the California Academy of Sciences and the wonderful naturalists and crew of the Islander. Who knows what exciting new sights we will get to see and share and what new photos and memories we will have collected before the next sunset!
