Dive Bombing Boobies- Free time puerto Villamil and a 6.2 mile hike to Serra Negra Crater

Isabela Island

This morning activity was a 6.2 mile hike to the see crater Serra Negra left from the 2019 eruption. The hike would have been lovely if it wasn’t pouring rain. The entire time. The guide thought we would hike above the clouds, but the clouds were just too low today. The hike was wet, slippery, and failed to reward.

Serra Negra Crater

After the hike we dingied back to the boat to strip off our soaking wet clothes. It poured for most of the hike and all of us were soaked to the bone. We quickly changed close and the staff served a lovely Mexican themed lunch on top deck. That’s our private chef and bartender in the photo- always working so hard for us! The food has been AMAZING!

we have a personal chef for all meals (and an assistant chef to prepare all snacks after each excursion

The afternoon activity allowed us a couple hours free time in Puerta Villimil. Although the Galápagos are made up of many different islands, only three are inhabited. Isabel is the smallest at 4,000 people. From 1945-1959, a penal colony hosted prisoners who were forced to build this wall, stone by stone, in isolation. This now historical site (El Muro de las Lágrimas), towering at 65 feet (25 m) high, took the lives of thousands during its construction. Locals claim to hear cries emanating from the heavy energy surrounding the site.iguana marina puerto egas. The Wetlands of Isabela Island are located just outside of Puerto Villamil. The Wetlands consist of lagoons, swamps, and mangroves and are home to a variety of unique bird species such as common stilts, whimbrels, white-cheeked pintails, and gallinules. The Wetlands can be visited on foot via a path that winds through the swamps

We ran into a giant flock of Blue Footed Boobies fishing on the dingy ride back into town. They are hilarious to watch as they fly straight down and dive bomb the water hoping for a fish. Their not good fisherman birds as they only get a fish one in one hundred tries. A total hoot!!!

Dive bombing boobies - they catch one fish in every 100 tries

Slow motion

You can get an idea how close these boobies we’re

Since we will have lots of time for shopping after the cruise (we are spending 7 more nights on San Cristobal) we headed straight for a bar on a beach. Our guide recommended Pink Iguana so that’s where we landed Sherpa got his beer and I had a Pink Iguana house special (actually two because it was happy hour). The breeze was just perfect.

Forgot to mention we did see pink flamingos and visited a turtle breeding center on ISABELA on the way to the hike (did o mention the hike was 6.2 miles in pouring rain? Hahahah)

pink flamingos

We also went to a turtle breeding center. This center was created to protect animals in their first years of life from the threats of foreign species such as pigs and donkeys. turtle breeding center Giant tortoise eggs are collected and brought to the center where they are hatched and kept for five years before being released to their natural environment.

Turtle breeding center

sea lion kicked people off that bench

Sea lions in the street

Iguanas at the marina

Boats in the harbor have to cover the back with netting to prevent sea lions from Jumping in

Two fisted drinking :)

Sea lion at immigration

Dingy ride to town

isabela is one of three islands in the Galapagos that have people living on them