Day 8 – Sierra Negra Caldera, Puerto Villamir
Over these three days, our world was defined by one thing: volcanic rock: SHARP, MELTED or MUDDY. We were exploring the western edges of the Galapagos, a dramatic landscape shaped by six active volcanos that could still throw an unexpected tantrum.
The geological pilgrimage began with a 45-minute bus ride from the southern shores of Puerto Villamil to Sierra Negra, an active volcano whose last tantrum was in 2018.
I was told seeing the rare vermillion flycatcher was a low probability. Why drag kilos of expensive came gear up an 1,100m incline to the second largest caldera on earth, navigating inclines of questionable safety during a downpour? I left the camera on the ship and relied on my iPhone. Literally, the second we stepped into the misty park entrance, a vermillion flycatcher appeared. It fluttered on the muddy floor, danced on the roof and practically put on show longer than what you would expect from a little bird that is supposed to be elusive.
The 4.5km roundtrip hike was an ecological transformation. We started in lush vibrant greenery teeming with Darwin’s finches, which slowly withered away into a barren land of jagged rock, blinding white sand and massive fields of lava near an active stinking sulfur furmarole.
We under estimated two things: the rain’s ability to turn the tracks into a swampy mud crisis and the locals’ lack of basic off-roading driving skills. For people living on a volcanic island, their strategy for extracting a stuck truck was primitive. We spent an hour and a half watching a comedy: cars being pushed through the sludge. We finally arrived at Puerto Villamil’s beach promenade that exuded the standard ‘island life’ vibe – bars, cafes and restaurants. We watched the surfers share the waves with pelicans diving headfirst into the water, before heading back to the ship to watch the sky change colors.
Day 9 – Punta Moreno
The next morning, we sailed to the northern coast for a panga ride. The local wildlife – one penguin, marine iguanas, grey herons and flightless cormorants were all basking on the blacks rocks under the sun.
We landed on shore for a short hike across a fresh lava field. The landscape was a stark, beautiful contrast: sharp black rock dotted with cacti, green shrubs and frankincense trees with the silhoutte of the Cerro Azul volcano looming in the distance. We expected to see a lagoon filled with flamingos. We saw zero flamingos but we did get to watch manta rays gliding through the clear water from the mangroves above.
In the afternoon, we wore our fins and explored the paradise under water. Sea turtles munched on algae and I was one of the lucky few to witness penguins swooshing past. I even managed to snap what I thought was a masterpiece: a penguin on one side and a perfectly concave wall of a hundred anchovies on the other. My settings were a disaster and the masterpiece turned out to be a collection of blurs.
Elizabeth Bay
Another panga ride dragged us into the calm, tangled labyrinth of mangrove roots. Sea turtles played peek-a-aboo at the surface while penguins chilled on lava rocks and frigatebirds circled overhead. Despite the choppy seas outside, the mangroves were peaceful, even if my internal monologue was just me realizing most of my photos were garbage.
Day 10 – Urbina Bay
Bad weather forced us to abort our next landing, where we missed out on another lava hike and the chance to see land iguanas and giant tortoises at the base of a volcano. Mildly bummed, we sailed along Canal Bolivar, a prime whale watching spot, keeping our eyes for blows and watching frigatebirds engage in mid air dogfights. We saw zero whales but petrels elegantly walking on water.
Tagus Cove
Our final stop was Tagus Cove, a sheltered bay nestled between Fernandina and Isabela islands. I chose to trek rather than go on a panga ride and left my camera on the boat. We climbed the slippery stone steps ashore to find rocks covered in graffiti left by 18th century pirates and sailors. The 3km round trip hike up to Darwin’s caldera where we stopped at two scenic viewpoints looking down into the calderas, eventually reaching the summit to find more volcanic rocks.
Fortunately, the local land iguanas, lava lizards and finches put on a good show on the trails distracting us from the show of rocks.
CRAYSCAPE 