Visiting Isla Isabela in the Galápagos Archipelago

The Wall of Tears (continued)

 
Walking back to town along the desert roadway.  

After visiting the Wall, we started walking back to town, a distance of about nine kilometers (including side trips). It turned into an interesting nature walk as we passed through several different ecosystems (cactus forests, mangrove swamps, inland lagoons, sandy beaches, etc.) each with its own specialized flora and fauna. Along the way there were several short side-trails heading off to the left or right of the main road, and we went on all of them. One side trail led up a steep volcanic cinder cone to a viewing platform on top. We could see vast distances in all directions, and could see the anchorage in the far distance. Another side trail took us to an overlook by a yellow-green pond. On shore, directly in front of us, was a magnificent great blue heron who patiently posed for numerous photographs. On another side trail we saw several flamingos in a lagoon, but so far, all our flamingo encounters have been disappointing because they have been so far away. At another side trail we saw a small collapsed lava tunnel leading to the beach, and another trail led to a collapsed magma chamber that had a scummy green pond inside with flitting dragonflies. For most of our return trip we had the trails to ourselves and met only one person walking along the main road. We also saw lots of interesting roadside flowers though they might have been introduced species.


 
Two views looking inland from the top of the observation platform.

 
Two views looking towards the coast from the observation platform. In the right-hand picture, you can just make out a sailboat entering the harbor. You can also see the dark line in the water and the distant surf that indicate the presence of reefs.

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