Following our snorkeling adventure, the Evolution pulled up anchor and we started making our way down the coast of Isabela Island. Our destination is Punta Espinosa on Fernandina Island, the youngest island in the Galapagos, at just under one million years old. The islands volcano, La Cumbre, is still active, having last erupted in January 2020. The island was named after King Ferdinand II of Aragon, one of the sponsors of Christopher Columbus’ voyages.
As soon as we stepped off the panga we were greeted by this mass of marine iguanas! They literally crawl on top of each other for shared body warmth.
This is the Galapagos Lava Lizard. There are 7 different species of lava lizards in the Galapagos.
This lava around this reflective pool in indicative of the islands youth. Much of the island we visited was very stark, but teeming with wildlife.
The Sally Lightfoot crabs are here in abundance!
We had to get a family shot with the marine iguanas. Isn’t this the perfect Christmas card? Nothing screams the holidays quite like the marine iguanas!!
Here is a good example of the game “how many marine iguanas can you fit on one rock?”.
These baby sea lions saw our group and came over to play on the beach in front of us.
Here’s a quick video of the baby sea lions playing in the surf.
The very top of La Cumbre volcano is covered in clouds. This view shows there is some vegetation on the island.
We came upon this mama and her baby relaxing on the sand.
This huge pelican framed our yacht Evolution perfectly. Note the crabs in close proximity, making it clear that pelican’s don’t eat crabs.
The beach is a mixture of shells and black sand. That’s Isabela Island in the background.
Another baby sea lion made his way up the beach in this video.
While we were on this same beach, we heard a mama sea lion barking at us, alarmed that we might be doing something to her baby.
The marine iguanas seem to be a mixture of “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “Godzilla”, and I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see anything uglier than Jerry Nadler. Ok, it’s still a toss-up.
To offset that previous thought, yet another beautiful evening as the sun sets behind Fernandina Island.
Tomorrow is another day chock full of experiences. As always, thanks for reading!
So interesting!! Would love to take that trip!
Pat, you guys would love it. I would highly suggest you start looking at the Quasar website to see what they have to offer. I can put you in touch with Diane Schicke from Quasar who can give you all the details of what they can provide. They’ve been an excellent company to work with, and based on my research I think they provide the best experience in the Galapagos!