Breakfast service. Dry landing. Visit to Moreno Point. Deep water snorkeling.
Moreno Point
Moreno Point is a place where the forces of the Galapagos have joined to create a work of art. The tour starts with a panga boat ride along the beautiful rocky shores where Galapagos Penguins and shore birds are frequently seen. After a dry landing the path traverses through jagged black lava rock. As the swirling black lava flow gave way to form craters, crystal tide pools formed-some surrounded by mangroves. This is a magnet for small blue lagoons, pink flamingos, blue herons, and Bahamas’ pintail ducks. Brown pelicans can be seen nesting in the green leaves of the mangroves. You can walk to the edge of the lava to look straight down on these pools including the occasional green sea turtle, white-tipped shark and puffer fish. This idyllic setting has suffered from the presence of introduced species. Feral dogs in the area are known to attack sea lions and marine iguanas.
Urbina Bay
Lunch service and navigation to Urbina Bay. Wet landing. Nature walk and more wildlife watching. Shallow water snorkeling.
Lying at the foot of Alcedo Volcano, south of Tagus Cove, is Urbina Bay, one of the best and the most recent example of geological uplift in the Galapagos. Uplifts occur when the molten materials beneath the surface shifts. In 1954 the shoreline was uplifted by nearly 15 feet (4 meters). The coastline was driven 3/4 of a mile further out to sea, exposing giant coral heads and stranding marine organisms on what was now on shore. A Disney film crew visited the site shortly afterwards and discovered skeletons of sharks, sea turtles and lobsters unable to find the ocean from the rapidly rising land. Schools of fish were found stranded in newly formed tide pools. Boulder sized coral heads can be seen near the area that once was the beach. The uplifting of Urbina Bay was followed by an eruption of Alcedo a few weeks later.
Seasonally Urbina Bay provides a nesting area for many of the Galapagos creatures. Female tortoises journey down from Alcedo to lay their eggs in the sand. Galapagos penguins, flightless cormorants and brown pelicans nest in the area as well.
The visit begins with a wet landing on the white sand beach. Difficulty of the route varies by season. The trail ranges from stark and easily passable during the dry season to mildly challenging requiring wading to pass during the rainy season. Visitors cross the uplifted region learning about this geological wonder. Then reach the sandy area that was once the beach. Shorter visits return to the landing point on the same path, while longer visits continue past the coral heads and new beach.
Other highlights of this site include marine iguanas and some of the largest land iguanas in the islands, and Galapagos Cotton an endemic plant, historians believe the Incas brought to the islands, while naturalist theorize it floated across from Peru.
Guide briefing. Dinner service and navigation to Fernandina Island.
