Wednesday Walk Challenge : Wildlife and nature walk on Isla Fernandina, Galápagos
Our first stop with the possibility to go ashore was at Punta Espinosa. It is a rather narrow peace of land. When we landed on the island, we were met by a couple of grown up sea lions. The next species we saw was the Marine Iguana. After a short walk we realized that there are hundreds of them!
Many of them gather in large groups. When they are sunbathing on the black lava rocks, they are dificult to spot. So look closely at the photos to check if can see them! Those on the white sand was easy to see, but on the black rocks we almost stumple upon them! They don't look so pretty, but at least they are vegetarians.
The landscape is quite spectacular as well. At this place the land had both been raised and lowered quite a lot of times. It is estmated that it has raised approximately 40 cm. That's why it is possible to see corals and mangrove being exposed in certain areas. The coast is dominated by the lava flows. The black rocks does dominate the shores. Just like the other islands, Fernandina too, was created by volcanic activity. On the centre of the island the La Cumbre volcano is dominating the small island.
As we continues, we saw more sea lions. They are found in in large numbers on the island as well. This was the time when they had young cubs. Some of them were only a couple of weeks old. The mothers will leave them alone for a couple of days, while they are at sea feeding on fish. But the cubs are fine. They only need to nurse twice a week. The one on the photos above was alone, but woke up posing for us, as we approached. These youngsters were very curious and completely relaxed around us humans. It's clear they're used to human paparazzi!
We saw lots of the Sally Lightfoot crabs. They were mostly at the water edge. Against the black lava they were so easy to spot because of the red color.
Almost at the end of our walk we get the opportunity to see the lava Cactus. This plant was among the first species to grow on this island. They are huge! They don't need much water to grow up, so this climate suits them well.
On our way back to where we started, we also passed a skelleton. It is huge, so we guessed it must be a whale skeleton. It turned out to be correct. There are many more species, like sea birds and penguins, which we didn't see. When in the small «panga» on our way back to the boat we saw seaturtles at the surface of the water.
The highlight on this walk was definitly the marine iguanas. This was the first time I have seen them in real life. Great to get a close encounter with these very special animals.
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Latest wedensday walk, check out:
Wednesday Walk Challenge : Hiking almost to the top of the active volcano Cotapaxi in Ecuador
U.J
Kristiansand, Norway
All the photoes are mine, Ulla Jensen (flickr, Instagram and facebook)
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Thanks you very much. Blessings.
Wow, how impressive, the seals are so cute, what a wonderful experience.
Yes, dear @doriangel. It was a wonderful and very informative trip. Have a great day. Thank you for stopping by. Cheers and best regards.
You will want to cuddle those cute babies🙂
That so lovely😍
That must be an impressive walk with those lovely creature and scenery.
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It was! Like another world 🙂
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You took some fantastic photos on your Galapagos walk/visit! Those sea lions are so cute, but iguanas are not so much... hahahahaha... But, as you say, at least they are vegetarians... Speaking of which, there is not too much vegetation except for those cacti, and some bushes... I suppose iguanas eat algae, or some sea plants?
Seeing animals posing for photos made me wonder about tourists... Are the visits to the island limited?
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Thanks🙂Haha...those iguanas does look like monsters...the amount of visitors is limited. We were small groups and we could not walk without a guide.The animals seem tame because they have no enemies on land. At least not today.
It must be a great feeling walking among animals without them being scared!
That was the most amazing experience of all. Even the birds did not fly away...
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Your post brings back good memories! My wife and I went to Ecuador and the Galapagos almost 20 years ago. An unforgettable trip. That must be the same for yours.
Thanks for sharing your photos!
Glad to here that you have good memories from here. Amazing country and those islands was a highlight when travelling in South America🙂
What a beautiful island! It's more of nature.
Nature is what it's all about on these islands🙂
Beautiful walk on this island with an abundance of flora and fauna... you must have enjoyed walking around and admiring all these wonders. Lucky you 😀
Have a lovely day
These islands offer great variety in landscape, and the unique wildlife. Absolutely a great experience🙂 wish you a great day
This island looks amazing it's how I imagined the desert charming islands that I read in some books amazing photos of the nature and the animals ❤️❤️❤️