Galapagos 3 ; Isabela

”Anchored at noon in a small cove beneath the highest, boldest land which we have yet seen. The volcanic origin of all is but too plainly evident: Passed a point studded over with little truncated cones or spiracles as some author calls them; the craters were very perfect generally red-coloured within” Charles Darwin Beagle voyage diary 1835

Isabela; the largest and youngest island of the Galapagos group is a (still growing and moving) landmass made up of 6 fused volcanoes. All but 1 are still active. Welcome to one of the most volcanically active places in the world!

We took an open taxi truck to the trail head for the sweaty, 6 hour, 16km return hike up Sierra Negra Volcano. The truck rumbled through a spectacularly diverse landscape from the beach near Puerto Villamil, through lush, humid vegetation and barren lava flows. Once on the trail, Galapagos finches flitted around us as we tramped through the hot, Ecuadorian morning. After a couple of hours we reached the crater at 1,124m above sea level. It took quite a few moments to run our eyes around the massive rim and contemplate it’s sheer and impressive size (10km diameter) The caldera’s verdant lip was like the jewel-green rim of a mammoth bowl containing a concoction of dark, dense, volcanic rock.

An otherworldly landscape….prickly pear cacti sprouted amongst loose, volcanic, pumice rocks, light as air and sparkling with melted crystals.

Below; As well as the 20-odd islands that make up The Galapagos archipelago, there are a further 107 rocks and islets that jut from the ocean and provide resting spots for pelicans, sea lions, boobies and frigates….

Below right; we are not sure if this is the wing tip of a manta ray or the dorsal fin of a pilot whale? Russ says manta, I say whale…

Below left; definitely the wing tips of a manta ray spotted on our boat trip from the lava tunnels. For a long time, we were mistaking them as shark dorsal fins as they are so far apart (up to 7m) 

Just hanging out on Tika in Puerto Villamil, Isabela got us close to nature; sea lions, turtles, reef sharks and small, Galapagos penguins constantly swam around and in between our hulls. The cool, Humboldt and Cromwell currents that flow around these islands allow the penguins to survive on and north of the equator (the only species of penguin that does)

Below; Russ and Kai got to see some gorgeous flamingos; Jaiya and I have still not forgiven them for forgetting to tell us so we could also experience them! (Photo credit; S.V Jade)

We spent a morning snorkelling Los Tuneles; espresso black lava formations, bridges and submerged lava tunnels that had us hanging out with big, granddaddy turtles and swimming into caves full of reef sharks…

Below; Flamingos: Photo credit S.V Jade

There are very few things you can do in the Galapagos Islands without first paying a guide. Right next to the anchorage there is a set of rocks where penguins tend to frolic. Any yachties seen snorkelling between our boats and this area (between 10 and 15m) were promptly told off by either a tour guide operator or the port captain. Perhaps, as independent travellers, sailors are a rebellious lot. We are certainly less compliant of nonsensical rules than the average cruise ship tourist, and  the cynics amongst us wonder if some of the rules are more about revenue raising than it is about conservation. 

There is a dilapidated dinghy dock that the Galapagans charged us $5 per person to use for the duration of our stay. We returned after our tour to find that the fuel line for our dinghy had been stolen. To steal a dinghy fuel line is a very low thing to do. It leaves the owner stranded, unable to even get back to their boat. Given the remote location and the lack of chandleries, it could have been a very major set back for Tika. Luckily, a fellow sailor had a spare that just happened to fit and we were saved. We felt a little bitter that the locals were so high-minded about us snorkelling 10m from our boat, but not at all interested in the theft of a vital piece of equipment from a visiting yacht. We learnt later that fuel line theft was an on-going issue at Isabela and a closer inspection revealed seasoned yachties walking around town with their fuel lines slung over their shoulders!

The Galapagos Movie: A two minute snippet.…

Bottom right; when one sailor in a cafe manages to scrape together enough Wi-Fi to slowly coax a weather report down (just before a big passage)……instant crowds!

Next post: Jaiya’s project on flamingos, followed by a post on our Pacific passage; Galapagos-Marquesas 3100 nautical miles.

This entry was posted in The Sail.