Tintoreras, Isabella Giant Tortoise Breeding Center, & Concha de Perla

Tintoreras means white tipped and refers to the type of sharks that most regularly frequent the volcanic channel here. This was one of those days where our first activities were before breakfast. We landed on Tintoreras which is essentially a jumble of black uplifted rocks a few feet above sea level. 

The pending winds in the Galapagos are from the southeast. On Tintoreras this fact creates an interesting visual in which the southeast side of the rocks are frosted in a white lichen while the northwest sides are the naked volcanic reddish black. We saw great blue herons and yellow warblers along with small ground finches. Marine iguanas nest here and we came across many of those waiting to be warmed by the morning sun. Sea turtles popped their heads up in the calm waters of this rocky maze. On a stretch of sand near the end of our hike we met a few dozen sea lions sleeping. A few were camped out on the trail and we were obligated to go around them. We did not see any sharks in the channels because the tide was out making these passages quite shallow. 

Following our walk we had about 20 minutes to gear up for snorkeling. We flopped out of the panga and into the chilly water and mostly drifted with the current. The main species here was the blue chin parrotfish but there were great numbers of yellow tail damselfish and sargent major as well. We saw a large marbled ray and several chocolate chip sea stars. We also saw a blue sea star and a couple of the highly decorative hieroglyphic hawkfish. 

After earning our breakfast we visited the Isabella Giant Tortoise Breeding Center. This facility specializes in safeguarding the two giant tortoise species of southern Isabela Island. Isabela is home to 5 distinct tortoise species, one for each of its volcanos. 

The species are kept apart by ancient lava flows that the tortoises cannot cross. The two species found at the Isabela being center are from Sierra Negra and Cerro Azul. The set up if the facility is much like what we saw at the Charles Darwin Research Station. The hatchlings are in small protective enclosures and as they grow, they are graduated into larger pens. The best thing about our visit here was that it was feeding day. The tortoises are fed 3 times a week on the leaves of a plant that grows in the highlands on Isabela. Each pen contained a slow motion feeding frenzy of tortoises munching their way through the crisp leaves. This sight was especially adorable in the 1 year old pens. These babies were practically buried in leaves but made short work of their meal.

We left the breeding center on foot along a trail that led to a series of hypersalinic lagoons. These are popular feeding spots for flamingos and other wading birds. The first part of the path went through an arid forest of prickly pear trees and stunted palo verde. The lagoons were bordered by red, white, and button mangroves. We were fortunate to see 8 flamingos along with feeding black neck stilts and white cheek painted ducks.

After lunch we went out to the beach. We walked to a lava tube that leads to the ocean and fills with water at high tide. At La Playita and Playa del Amor we saw large piles of marine iguanas resting under the mangroves. 

We ended the day with a snorkel through another volcanic channel, this time at Concha de Perla. This sheltered cove surrounded by mangroves is home to some very playful sea lions. Many of the larger fish we have seen on our snorkels were absent like the parrotfish and king angelfish. We saw mostly the yellowtail damselfish and sea urchins, green and pencil, were everywhere. The highlight of this spot was undoubtedly watching one of the sea lions who has been playing with us take a break from that to harass a marine iguana who was swimming by. The sea lion followed the iguana nipping at its tail.