Isabela island is the largest island in the Galapagos. It has five of the biggest volcanos in the Islands. The downside to all the volcanos is that there are not many places to disembark, because most of the Island is volcanic rock. On the other hand, it is nice to hike around the craters, and see the fascinating lava formations.
When we were on a cruise in the Galapagos, we spent two days touring around Isabela. On the first morning on Isabela, there were activities on the outskirts of the island: first, a boat tour, afterwards, snorkeling. On the boat tour, we saw many different species of birds and other animals. The kinds of birds varied from blue footed boobies, to Galapagos flightless cormorants, to pelicans. The blue footed boobies were really fascinating to see, because the blue color was interesting to look at on a bird's feet. From the boat, we also saw a golden ray. I'm pretty glad we didn't see one in the water, because I would have swam away instantly. It was harder to see fish from the boat, so it was exciting when it was time to go snorkeling.
In the water, we saw a combination of tropical fish, and other water animals as we swam the outskirts of the island. The pufferfish were interesting because they swam right under us, and didn't pay us much attention. We also saw sea turtles, which seemed like they were unconsciously swimming, with their legs and arms splayed out. The only penguin we saw was a few feet away from me, jumping into the water.
The next morning, everyone had a choice of either a boat tour or a hike. Our whole family chose the hike. We hiked around Darwin Lake, where we saw land iguanas and insects, but besides that, not much wildlife. The lake was interesting, because it has more salt in it than the ocean. There was also some volcanic ash where we went. At the end of the hike, there was an incredible viewpoint from some rocks, where we took pictures.
After the hike, we went snorkeling again, but at a different place. There were more penguins, actually, a lot more. I was in the middle of swimming to my Dad, when a bunch of penguins darted under me. We also saw pufferfish, and sea turtles, like the ones from before.
That afternoon, we went on another hike. The hike this time was on dried out lava rock, surrounded by waves. There were a lot of land iguanas too, who sometimes surprised me, because they were so well camouflaged. The first time we saw them, they were just sitting there, so I thought that they were rocks, and almost stepped on one. On the hike, there were also sea lions, which were one of the highlights on the trip for me. I especially liked the baby ones, who tried to waddle towards us and play. We weren't allowed to touch them though, so every time one came near, everyone would back up.
Going to Isabela was one of the greatest things about the Galapagos. When you think of going to the Galapagos, you think of the kinds of animals and plants that you see on and around Isabela island.
