Sierra Negra Volcano, Isabela Island, Galapagos.
The National Geographic special continues. Geological edition.
This was a day dominated by a 10 mile (16km) hike to Isabela Island’s Sierra Negra volcano. It probably comes as no surprise to say that the Galapagos archipelago was formed mostly as a result of volcanic activity, but what makes Isabela unique is that unlike every other island here, which only have one volcano each, Isabela has six. Three of them are still active. Sierra Negra last erupted in 2018.
It is the 2005 eruption however that nearly eradicated the giant tortoises from the island, but more specifically from the area around Sierra Negra. And while It’s estimated that some 800 of the 2,000 tortoises bred in captivity, have survived their release into the wild, they have not yet reached their ancestral home. That journey can take up to 15 years and at this point they’ve only been on the march for about seven.
In any case, without any giant tortoises or other significant wildlife to look out for, this was a day where the landscape was the star. An otherworldly moonscape, I’ve seen only in Hawaii and Iceland, but with a very different feel from either of those.
Our first stop came relatively early in the hike, which in the beginning was just a dirt trail with vegetation on either side. Three miles in, however, we reached the volcano’s caldera. Not only is it massive, coming in at 9km by 7km, it’s also the second largest active caldera on Earth, after Yellowstone.
As we kept going we now had the caldera on our left and vegetation on the right. On we went until reaching the real start to this journey: a six kilometer stretch that was nothing but lava fields. It is strange how such a barren landscape can be so magnificent. So awe inspiring. But also a reminder that in this great planet of ours, we aren’t in charge. Mother Nature is
Michelle Gallardo
Chicago news gal with an addiction to pro-cycling, Ironman, running, travel and food. Always in search of a new adventure, way to torture myself.
