Galápagos Islands: Isabela

I’m starting to feel like I live in the middle of a National Geographic special. Today began of with a snorkeling excursion to a bay where we were told we’d be able to swim with the marine iguanas that inhabit Isabela island. By the time the snorkel was over, not only had we hung out with the swimming iguanas, but also swum with turtles, a penguin, a sea lion and one of the largest sting rays I’ve ever seen. Never mind the dozens of star fish all over the sea floor.

Ah, but we’re not done says our guide as we get back into the boat. We are now going to shark alley. Ok. Our expectations raised, reality turned out to be quite the bust when after swimming through a super narrow corridor between the mangroves there was only one white tip reef shark. Never fear, says our guide again. We will find them on our next stop. Except you’ll have to see them from above. In the meantime, turn around, there are a couple of penguins and blue-footed boobies behind you. Well of course there are.

In any case, our next stop turned out to be an inlet called Tintoreras inhabited almost entirely by marine iguanas. It’s quite barren, composed mostly of volcanic rock. The last iguana census in 2019 numbered the population at over 3,000. It’s believed there are at least 30% more now. It is quite a sight. But of course there aren’t only iguanas here and at some point as we looked over a small beach on the inlet where a male iguana seemed to be itching for a fight with another we sighted yet another penguin and a sea lion within feet of other. In other parts of the world sea lions feed on penguins, which means penguins would never voluntarily be anywhere near them. Not here.

Oh and all those sharks we were promised. We found them. As it turns out. They were unable to get off Tintoreras and into shark alley because the full moon tonight brought with it a low tide, cutting off the sharks’ access point. In any case, we must have seen at least 30 all bunched up waiting for the water levels to rise. Yep. Just another day in Galapagos Islands.

Wait. You thought I was finished? Fake!! That was just the first half of the day. After a three hour break during which we showered and went off for a lovely beachside lunch, it was time to go in search of flamingos AND, finally, to come face to face with Galapagos’ Islands most defining species: the giant tortoise.

Saving the Galapagos Giant Tortoises

The flamingos were the second bust of the day. We only saw five. In all fairness however, this is not really the season for them as the lagoons they inhabit are mostly dry. Once the wet season starts in a few weeks that should improve significantly.

The tortoises, however, were most certainly not a bust. If fact, they were very interesting. You see, these tortoises live, not in the wild, but at the Arnaldo Tupiza Breeding Center on Isabela, that is determined to save them from extinction. All of the Galapagos giant tortoise species alive today are under threat and are on the IUCN Red List – they range from Vulnerable to Critically Endangered.

On Isabela, the primary, non man-related cause for the tortoises demise is volcanic activity. There are six volcanoes in total here. Three of which are considered active. The last big eruption of the Sierra Negra volcano in 2005 decimated the population of one particular species. In all, 22 adult giant tortoises were saved from these eruptions. They were brought to what is now a breeding center on the island. In the years since, over 2000 tortoises have been born there and released back into the wild at age five. Their survival rate so far has been over 40 percent. That is much higher than if they hadn’t been born in captivity. The hope is eventually the breeding center will no longer be needed. But for now it still is.