Urbina Bay , located on the island of Isabela, is a good place to find giant tortoises and land iguanas although both can be difficult to spot. We were fortunate to encounter one very large tortoise, several younger ones and a pair of iguanas.

The entire area was subject to a massive tectonic uplift and coral reefs that were once below the ocean now sit on land.

While transiting to Elizabeth Bay we crossed paths with a pod of some 20 dolphins. They decided to do a little bow riding and for ten minutes they held the ships passengers hostage with their gleeful antics.

The mangroves of Elizabeth Bay are frequented by a number of Galapagos penguins. The little fellow below was curious about our boat and my crude attempts at a penguin call. It swan to within a couple of feet of our boat to investigate.

Maya was given an opportunity to pilot the Panga as we returned to the main ship. She was smiling from ear to ear the entire time.  The crew commended her smooth driving and accurate steering (both a bit harder than you would likely imagine).