Elizabeth Bay, Isabela Island - Galapagos Islands

The afternoon of Tuesday, March 22, 2022, we visited Red Mangrove Cove in Elizabeth Bay, on the west coast of Isabela Island. Elizabeth Bay can only be visited by panga, no hiking is permitted. It is an area of mangroves surrounded by lava fields, small islets and rocky reefs. It contains one of the largest and most important penguin colonies in the Galapagos Islands. 

Elizabeth Bay is underlined in red. 

We saw penguins, sea lions, green sea turtles, brown pelicans, blue-footed boobies, frigate birds, striated herons and sharks. Our  broker that we worked with on the trip said that this is one of his places in the Galapagos Islands. Perhaps my expectations were up, but I was a little disappointed that we did not see more wildlife. 

Following are some photos:

One of the pangas on the way back to the Alya, moored in the distance. 

One of our pangas at a rocky islet with a blue-footed booby. 

This small island was near where our boat was anchored. 

Another yacht with Isabela in the background. 

Blue-footed boobies flying past the Alya.

Blue-footed booby on rocky islet.

Galapagos brown pelican.

Galapagos sea lion. 

Galapagos penguin

Flightless cormorant. 

Green sea turtle

Striated (lava) heron. 

Sally lightfoot crabs.

Magnificent frigate birds photographed from the Alya.