Sunrise over Isabela seen from Fernandina

Isabela is the Galápagos' largest island by far, and is home to the highest point of the archipelago, Wolf Volcano. Isabela and Fernandina are seperated by a narrow channel of water, called Bolivar Channel. The Flamingo I pulls into Tagus Cove after we finish snorkelling, and we have time before our afternoon excursions to explore the area by ocean kayak.

In the afternoon, we hop into the pangas for a ride along the coastline of Isabela. We are instantly struck yet again by the variety of scenery on the islands. The coastline here is made up of volcanic tuff formations, through the solidification of volcanic ash, like Kicker Rock. The ocean waves have eroded away the sides, exposing the different layers that formed over time.

Soon, we see the Galápagos penguin again, this time above water! Their smallness is contrasted by the large marine iguanas found nearby. An odd resident to find in the islands, these are the only penguins found north of the equator.

We land the panga at Tagus Cove, and climb our way up the cliff. On the way, we meet a young Galápagos hawk, who seems as curious of us as we are of him. It's a remarkable experience to be this close to a bird of prey in the wild.

Our climb brings us to the top of Darwin Lake, a salt water lagoon home to krill, but not much other life. The water is too deep for flamingos, or they may have found a home here.

Darwin lake

A view of Tagus Cove with the Flamingo from Isabela

We return to the Flamingo I where we head north along the Bolivar Channel for whale watching. The Cromwell Current sweeps against the western side of the Galápagos, cold, and rich with nutrients. Schools of whales chase this current, and although Renato was reluctant to promise that we would see them, he did say that he's never not seen them in the channel. Today, we saw several minke whales. Helen comments on the fact that whales leave footprints in the water, and we confirm this by seeing large still patches in the surface, where the whales have been. I refer to them as "prints of whales", which result in several groans.

Trisha relaxes back on board with a cool one

We watch the brilliant sunset over the Pacific, hoping to see the legendary green flash. This night, this phenomenon eludes us, but considering all we've gotten to see this trip, we're hardly in the position to complain! Pablo brings us a round of sangrias as we toast to our adventures.