We visited Urbina Bay the morning of Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Urbina Bay was probably my second favorite spot in the Galapagos Islands. It is about the midpoint of Isabela Island, on the west side, and directly across from Fernandina Island. It is at the base of Alcedo Volcano and in 1954 had an earthquake which raised the seabed by 5 meters and pushed heads of coral above the water. It has a nice white sand beach, much of which is restricted because it is a nesting ground for green sea turtles. We took a fantastic two miles roundtrip hike inland where we encountered quite a few venturing giant tortoises and huge, colorful land iguanas. The number of such discoveries and their oddity cemented it as an incredible experience. Afterwards we snorkled in the bay and Judy and I followed a green sea turtle for quite awhile.
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| Urbina Bay |
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| The Alya (right) anchored offshore. |
Some photos from the morning follow:
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| Alcedo Volcano Galapagos giant tortoise, one of about five subspecies of giant tortoise on Isabela Island. This subspecies is all in the vicinity of Alcedo Volcano. |
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| Galapagos land iguana |
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| Galapagos lava lizard |
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| Marine iguana, quite a bit inland. |
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| Galapagos Mockingbird |
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| Small ground finch, one of the Darwin finches. |
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| Medium ground finch, another of the Darwin finches. |
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| Green sea turtle seen while snorkeling in Urbina Bay. |
I agree, this was one of my favorite places. It is what you hope and dream your trip to the Galapagos will be like.
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