Having crossed the equator twice in the night (first, northbound, then southbound toward Fernandina) we piled into the Zodiaks right after breakfast. We were greeted by a welcoming committee that consisted of a flightless cormorant, a basking sea lion, crabs, a striated heron, marine iguanas and a Galapagos hawk that eyed us nonchalantly from a snag - and we had barely set foot on land. Fernandina is said to be the island least altered by human contact and that helps explain the abundance and variety of the wildlife.
As Jose, our barefoot guide, pointed out the difference between ''pahoehoe'' (ropy) and ''aa'' (sharp, jagged) lava I stopped to admire a Galapagos snake stretched out along the folds of pahoeohoe.
We watched a bit of the flightless cormorants' mating ritual: strutting with necks arched, twisting and twining. I guess you could say they were necking. The cormorants are one of the Galapagos' iconic species. So isolated from predators they have lost the ability to fly. What's left of their wings is effective for undersea fishing.
We were nearly back to the Zodiak landing when Helen took a spill on the lava and scuffed her toes, knees and hands and injured her elbow. Our guides and other members of the party provided first aid and we were whisked back to the Coral. A doctor was ferried over from our sister ship the Legend and he gave further treatment and comfort. Since she could still move the arm he assumed there was nothing broken, though when we got home four days later that proved incorrect.
As Helen rested aboard ship I continued with the group deep water snorkeling in Tagus Cove, on the west coast of Isabela. There were plenty of sea stars, barnacles, a couple of sea turtles. I even caught a glimpse of a penguin fishing below me.
We made a quick hike uphill past 175 years of nautical graffiti (sailors from the British ship Phoenix were the first to carve their vessel's name and date in the rock). We got a view of hyper-saline Lake Darwin - three times saltier than the ocean.
Back on the Coral we were treated to an ice cream social. We spent an hour on the upper deck looking for whales and admiring the sunset.
Cruising through the night, we again crossed the equator twice. For our northbound transit the captain invited passengers up to the bridge to watch the GPS monitor as it displayed our latitude at O degrees, 0' 0'' Then we retired to the lounge for celebratory cocktails and the presentation of certificates designating each of us as veterans of the equator crossing.
Cheska is a great asset for your company she is very knowledgeable and pleasant to work with
Susan Johnson
3 days ago
Adventure Life set us up with great guides and locations, seamless transportation, and good advice. Will work with them again. Thanks
Scott Sepsy
5 days ago
Amazing trip and the best customer service
Liz
6 days ago
Hannah and Nur got the gist of what we wanted our trip to be. They got us in hotels that were located centrally to historic tours. Tours and excursions that were significant, enriching and enjoyable. We had drivers that were on time/reliable. We got from location to location with ease. I would never have been able to plan this myself. I would not have known enough to ask for what we needed. This was above and beyond what I expected. Well done!
Kelly Mattingly
1 week ago
This is at least the fifth trip we have booked with AdventureLife. Jess has always had excellent ideas.