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Afternoon Hike at Urbina Bay on Isabela Island – Galapagos Islands

I thought I’d handle the afternoon hike the same way I did this morning’s hike – just take you along with me, and show you the sights as we saw them.  We are once again on Isabela Island – it’s the largest island in the Galapagos Archipelago.  This time, tho, we will see different animals than we did on our previous visits to Isabela….

Giant Tortoise in the Shade

This is what the Galapagos is most well-known for – the giant tortoises!  And, giant is an appropriate description.  They are really, really big!  Fabrizio, our tour guide, indicated that this one was probably a female because of the shape of her shell….and because she was smaller!

Muyuyu

We were walking thru some lovely vegetation and I couldn’t resist capturing, once again, this beautiful bloom.  It looks both vibrant and yet soft.

Galapagos Mockingbird

We kept hearing this rather loud noise, and when I looked up, here was the source – a Galapagos Mockingbird!  I love this image of him, in his element, enjoying the sun.

Galapagos Land Iguana Up Close

Here’s another new animal – a Galapagos Land Iguana.  Altho the family resemblance is obvious, at least these creatures have a more appealing color to them!  He, too, was pretty big!

In the Trees

One of our fellow travelers spotted this guy back off in the trees, and I really like this image of him.  He’s really in his element, and looks rather forbidding….however, we aren’t a food source for them, so, like their marine cousins, they pretty much leave us alone!

Giant Tortoise Walking

As we were walking along, we came across this tortoise, sort of sharing the path with us….

Posing – HDR Painterly 3

….and then she stopped and just decided to pose for us!  She, too, looks like she’s smiling.  Just happy to live on a beautiful, deserted island, I suppose!

Land Iguana Out for a Walk

Here’s a full-up photo of a land iguana, just to give you an idea of how big they are.  I am fascinated by his front paws (??).  They remind me of human hands in a way.

Galapagos Hawk

When we got back to where our panga was picking us up, this Galapagos Hawk was there to see us off…..such a good host!

Light Streaming

When we got back to the Beagle, the sky decided to put on a bit of a show for us, to end the day.  The way the sun is sending down streams of light, it sort of reminds me of God….or a holy card that I used to get when I was a kid.

Rain on the Horizon

This is another cool shot – you can see the sun above, and the rain pouring down from the cloud off on the horizon.

Pastel Sunset

With all the clouds and moisture in the air, I thought we’d have a lovely sunset!

Band Across the Sun

Good night from Urbina Bay…..

Enjoy!