Snorkeling On our 8-day-trip to the Galápagos we snorkeled almost every day. Either we dove in the water from the Aida Maria or we took a dinghy. The Galápagos islands are beautiful. However, it may be more beautiful underwater than above water. Check out our best snorkeling pics below (snapshots we took with our GOPRO).
Isla North Seymour After an early breakfast today we disembarked at Isla North Seymour. On Isla North Seymour you can see Frigatebirds, the clownish Blue-Footed Booby, and of course the ubiquitous Sea Lions. On Isla North Seymour is the largest colony of magnificent frigatebirds in the Galapagos. One of the bird’s most distinctive features is the male’s scarlet red throat pouch, which he inflates during mating season to attract female Frigatebirds. Frigatebirds are also known as “pirate birds,” due to their proclivity for stealing food from other birds or snatching chicks out of their nests. They’re also exceptionally agile and acrobatic flyers, which no doubt aids them in their thievery. ...
Isla Santiago + Isla Rábida Isla Santiago (also known as San Salvador) is recognizable by its varied landscape of black sand beaches and lava fields. Here you can see beautiful examples of lava flows: sharp and fragile A’ā lava and smooth winding Pahoehoe flows. Erosion by sea and wind grinds the black lava into black sand, creating this unusual beach. A’ā lava is a type of basaltic lava flow with a rough crumbly surface consisting of sharp, spiky lava blocks called “clinkers.” It is thicker and stickier than Pahoehoe lava, causing it to flow more slowly, but it has a dense hot core. As it cools, it forms impassable irregular terrain. ...
Isla Isabela (Caleta Tagus + Punta Espinoza) This morning we went to Caleta Tagus (Tagus Cove). Caleta Tagus is a historic sheltered bay on the west coast of Isla Isabela, west of the Darwin volcano. It is known as a favorite spot and former anchorage for pirates and whalers. There is also a trail that leads to the salt lake Laguna Darwin with views of volcanoes. We walked the trail. The entire distance of the trail is about 1800 meters. At the beginning of the walk, going up and passing the staircase, is a small cave where you will find inscriptions dating to the 1800s. ...
Isla Isabela (Punta Moreno + Bahía Elizabeth) After a long boat trip we arrived this morning at Punta Moreno on the west coast of Isla Isabela. Punta Moreno is known for its vast black lava fields and unique adapted flora. We went ashore on a lava field. The vegetation found in this area is sparse and is mainly concentrated in the mangrove area and around the lakes. However there are 3 kinds of cacti found here: • Lava cactus (Brachycereus nesioticus): a pioneer species that grows directly on lava fields • Opuntia cactus (prickly pear): recognizable by its disc-shaped segments • Jasminocereus thouarsii (candelabra cactus): a large columnar cactus ...