After a bumpy evening transiting between locations we were greeted with the calm aqua blue waters of Porto Villamil. Porto Villamil is the largest town on Isla Isabella (only about 3,000 people live on the island so the human footprint is minimal). 97% of all of the Galapagos Islands are permanently preserved and human development is limited to the remaining 3%. Before embarking on our first activity the crew served us breakfast up on the sundeck offering us beautiful views while we ate a delicious meal. The crew continue to work so hard to provide us with an unforgettable experience. Jay continues to try communicating in Spanish but it is often a struggle to form complete sentences. The crew are very patient and helpful as we attempt to communicate in Spanish whenever possible.

Our active day began with a short boat ride into town followed by a 30 minute bus ride to the base of a trail that leads to the top of Sierra Negra Volcano. Sierra Negra is the second largest active volcanic caldera in the world (only the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzaina is larger). On the way up the trail we spotted a very rare bird, the vermillion fly catcher (see image below). Sierra Negro last erupted in 2018 which led to a rise in tourism to this part of the island. From the trail head we walked to the top of the caldera’s ridge for spectacular views. The inside of the caldera measures approximately 9 x 10 kilometers so it is truly a grand view from the top. We were fortunate that the rain and clouds held off so as not to disrupt the view. The hike up and down offered us many opportunities to chat with and learn more about our fellow travelers. Everyone loves to travel and they have many unique stories to tell from their past experiences. It has been really great to share this experience with people who love to travel and enjoy experiencing nature.

We returned to the boat tired and ready for lunch and a nap before our afternoon activities. During the lull in activities we did our first “load” of laundry in our sink (the boat does not offer laundry services for guest clothing in an attempt to limit the use of water and detergents [which are ultimately returned to the sea]). Drying the clothes will be a challenge as it is exceptionally humid in the Galapagos but we are lucky to have a deck which allows us to put our clothes out in the direct sunlight.

Soon enough it was time for our next excursion, we headed back into town and loaded onto the same bus as in the morning. Our first stop was a brackish pond in the middle of town which is often home to Galapagos flamingos. We spotted a couple flamingos in the distance (since there are only 250 in the entire island, they are a rare sight). Flamingos gain their pink color from the pigment in the food they eat, such as shrimp, and typically develop their unique color as they reach adulthood. We also learned why flamingos raise one leg. They have “split” brains so it is believed they can rest one side of the brain at a time (they raise the leg on the same side of the brain that is sleeping). After gawking at the flamingos we departed for the local tortoise breeding and rehabilitation center. At the center they rescued several tortoises from the wild to save what was a dwindling species. Now the center successfully breeds, raises and then releases the tortoises back into the wild. The program has been a huge success as it is now estimated that there are at least 60,000 wild tortoises in the islands.

For our final stop we headed back into town as we had about an hour to walk around before we had to make our way back to the boat. During our walk we checked out the beach and stopped at a couple stores to buy some water and snacks (locally made plantain chips and made to order churros). Even though we are on an island the prices are still reasonable (5 bucks for all three). We again returned to the flamingo pond and were greeted by around 8 flamingos close to the walkway. One flamingo was eating and walking right underneath us. As we sat and watched the flamingos we saw another two fly in and land in the pond. Almost 5 percent of the total population of flamingos on the islands was right before us.

After our wonderful evening exploring town and watching flamingos we returned to our boat for tomorrow’s briefing and dinner. As our day is coming to a close we are eagerly awaiting tomorrow’s fun adventures!