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Galápagos Islands: Santa Cruz, Part 1
Goodbye Isabela. Hello Santa Cruz. Today we left the Galapagos’ biggest island en route to its fourth and final inhabited one. But not before Isabela put on one more show for us, begging the question do you really want to leave? After a quick, early morning breakfast our group was driven over to the pier to have our bags inspected and loaded onto the water taxi. We then walked across the street to find eight kayaks lined up alongside the beach. Kayaking on Isabela Island It’s true what the say about the early bird getting the worm. Or in this case, the fish. Within minutes of paddling we were surrounded…
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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…
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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…
