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The hike out to Volcán Chico is a hike through time, where the layers of volcanic rock each speak of a different eruption.
Our guide pointed out red rusty colored rock from the eruption of 1979 and a darker, gray black rock from the more recent eruption in 2005 and 2018.
In fact, Volcán Chico and its surrounds are a panorama of earthy tones and the stark contrasts between rusty reds, bright golden yellows, dusty, dull ochre, and blue blacks constantly greet us on the trail.
The southern and eastern side of the volcano is covered with lush tropical forest vegetation and fertile soil at moderate altitudes, the higher reaches are more barren with bushes and grasses of modest height of 2–3 meters.
*Sierra Negra Volcano and Chico Volcano:
Main Activities: Hiking/Walking
Intensity: Medium – High
Length of Tour: 5 hours
Daily Departures: 7:30am
The northern side of the volcano is almost entirely devoid of vegetation (with the exception of some cacti) as it has been resurfaced in more recent times by lava flows.
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Jasminocereus (meaning "jasmine-like cereus", referring to the flowers) is a genus of cacti with only one species, Jasminocereus thouarsii, endemic to the Galápagos Islands, territorially a part of Ecuador. In English it is often called the candelabra cactus (a name used for other cacti with a similar appearance). At maturity it has a branched, treelike habit, and may be up to 7 m (23 ft) tall. The stems are made up of individual sections with constrictions between them. Its creamy white to greenish flowers open at night and are followed by greenish to reddish fruits.
Jasminocereus thouarsii is endemic to the Galápagos, where it is found on Fernandina, Floreana, Isabela, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz and Santiago, plus some islets, including Bartolomé. It is found in arid areas, from the coast up to about 300 m (980 ft) on the larger islands.
The fruits of Jasminocereus thouarsii (particularly var. delicatus for those who distinguish varieties) have been used to make a fruit juice described as "refreshing".
Often, as the lava flowed, the exterior portion cooled and hardened even as the molten material continued to flow in the interior. When the lava flow abated, there was not enough liquid to fill the inner cavity, and a tunnel was formed (called a lava tube or lava tunnel).
Sierra Negra Volcano has one of the biggest and most amazing calderas of an active volcano on earth. It is also the only active volcano that we visited in the Galapagos Islands.
Our tour took us on a 16km hike along the edge of the caldera (volcanic crater). Great views of the landscape and excellent photos can be taken during the hike.
As part of the tour, we also visited the area of Volcan Chico.
We went over the edge and 300 meters down outside the main caldera and we kept walking along the edge and visited the last eruption site of Sierra Negra Volcano in 2018 on the newest trail opened by the Galapagos National Park.
So why should we visit Sierra Negra Volcano? The first reason is the spectacular views of this massive caldera and Isabela Island itself. On a clear day we have the chance to see the Sierra Negra Volcano’s caldera, the whole chain of six volcanoes that form Isabela Island, and also Elizabeth Bay and Fernandina Island all in the same picture!
The second and maybe the most important reason we should visit Sierra Negra Volcano is to understand and witness the continuing geological process of the Galapagos Islands.
Oh yes, and for the picture at the edge of the caldera too!
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The morphology of Sierra Negra is the upturned soup bowl shape of the other Isabela volcanoes, however it does not have the steep sloping sides that are on others. Instead the slope goes from approximately 2 degrees at its base and although increasing averages only 5 degrees.
The volcano has the largest caldera of all of the Galapagos volcanoes, with dimensions of 7.2 x 9.3 km, with the long axis being south west to north east. The caldera is also the shallowest of the Isabela volcanoes at only 100 meters. The caldera is structurally complex with a 14 km long ridge within it. A large fumarolic area, Volcan de Azufre, lies between this ridge and the western caldera wall.
This fumarolic area is one of the locations where terrestrial sulfur flows have been identified, this is associated with the melting of sulfur deposits.
And be prepared for one of the most stunning views of your entire trip. As you walk down the slope of Volcán Sierra Negra to Volcán Chico, just as the green highlands change into a desert landscape worthy of Death Valley in California, the vista opens up. And instead of just seeing the edge of the island and the ocean spread out before you, you see other islands of the archipelago and begin to understand just how impossible it is to see all of the Galapagos in a single trip.
The hike out to Volcán Chico is a hike through time, where the layers of volcanic rock each speak of a different eruption. Our guide pointed out red rusty colored rock from the eruption of 1979 and a darker, gray black rock from the more recent eruption in 2005. In fact, Volcán Chico and its surrounds are a panorama of earthy tones and the stark contrasts between rusty reds, bright golden yellows, dusty, dull ochre, and blue blacks constantly greet you on the trail.
As we walked down the slope of Volcán Sierra Negra to Volcán Chico, just as the green highlands change into a desert landscape worthy of Death Valley in California, the vista opens up.
The highlight of this hike was the destination point.
As we hiked down the mountain, you saw the outlines of hikers bodies on distant crater rim. It was easy to tell that not one of them was looking back towards us or the trail – they were all looking out at a vista we couldn’t yet see.
That view we saw earlier on the trail was about to be magnified a thousand-fold.
From the ridge, we saw the northern half of Isla Isabela spread out in full glory, the Wolf Volcano, the islands Fernandina, Rábida, Santa Cruz, even the tiny little islets of Cuatro Hermanos, and the striking blue waters in between them all.
When we arrived, we wanted to sit down and enjoy the view.
This was certainly not an experience to be rushed.
***
The hike out to Volcán Chico was a hike through time, where the layers of volcanic rock each speak of a different eruption.
Our guide pointed out red rusty colored rock from the eruption of 1979 and a darker, gray black rock from the more recent eruption in 2005 and 2018. In fact, Volcán Chico and its surrounds are a panorama of earthy tones and the stark contrasts between rusty reds, bright golden yellows, dusty, dull ochre, and blue blacks constantly greet us on the trail.
PS We are waiting for the other group to come down from the top.
The morphology of Sierra Negra is the upturned soup bowl shape of the other Isabela volcanoes, however it does not have the steep sloping sides that are on others. Instead the slope goes from approximately 2 degrees at its base and although increasing averages only 5 degrees.
The volcano has the largest caldera of all of the Galapagos volcanoes, with dimensions of 7.2 x 9.3 km, with the long axis being south west to north east. The caldera is also the shallowest of the Isabela volcanoes at only 100 meters. The caldera is structurally complex with a 14 km long ridge within it. A large fumarolic area, Volcan de Azufre, lies between this ridge and the western caldera wall.
This fumarolic area is one of the locations where terrestrial sulfur flows have been identified, this is associated with the melting of sulfur deposits.
***
The volcano is one of the most active in the Galapagos, with the most recent eruption beginning on 26 June 2018, only ten days after a nearby Volcano, La Cumbre, also began erupting. The previous eruption began on 22 October 2005 and ended on 30 October 2005. That eruption was estimated to have produced 1.5x108 m3 of lava. Despite the GPS monitoring on Sierra Negra there was no advance warning of the eruption. There had been expansion of the caldera floor since 1992 but no short term deformational signal was noted before the eruption. Contraction continued through the nine-day eruption before starting again immediately after the eruption ended.
Other eruptions in the historical record are 1911, 1948, 1953, 1954, 1957, 1963, 1979 and 2005. Eruptions in earlier years are recorded by dating lava flows but their location on the volcano and the dates of the eruption are not known precisely.
But perhaps even more exciting than the beautiful, if stark, landscape are the vents where you can feel the moist, hot air escaping from the earth itself. Just look across the landscape for a spot of bright green, a fern or a small flowering plant, or maybe some sprouting mushrooms, and you will likely find a vent that is providing the moisture this small plant needs to survive. It is a reminder of how this land is still in the process of active change.
Has it happened? I think it has (hope I'm right) unesco.org.uk/the-slate-landscape-of-northwest-wales/ I would have expected to see the announcement more widely promoted.
Well, how will that change things? www.festrail.co.uk/
A view at Orlando Wetlands - The Orlando Wetlands Park is a man-made wetland designed to provide advanced treatment for reclaimed water from the City of Orlando and other local cities. The Park is 1650 acres in size and located in Christmas, Florida. Visitors can visit the Park seven days a week, between sunrise and sunset, to enjoy primitive and passive activities including: Photography, Wildlife viewing, Hiking, Biking, Horseback riding and Guided Tours.
I frequently go to this park as it is nearby and it is rich in scenery and wildlife.
And be prepared for one of the most stunning views of our entire trip. As we walked down the slope of Volcán Sierra Negra to Volcán Chico, just as the green highlands change into a desert landscape worthy of Death Valley in California, the vista opens up. And instead of just seeing the edge of the island and the ocean spread out before us, we saw other islands of the archipelago and began to understand just how impossible it was to see all of the Galapagos in a single trip.
The hike out to Volcán Chico is a hike through time, where the layers of volcanic rock each speak of a different eruption.
Our guide pointed out red rusty colored rock from the eruption of 1979 and a darker, gray black rock from the more recent eruption in 2005 and 2018. In fact, Volcán Chico and its surrounds are a panorama of earthy tones and the stark contrasts between rusty reds, bright golden yellows, dusty, dull ochre, and blue blacks constantly greet us on the trail.
***
Volcán Chico is located northeast of Sierra Negra volcano at an altitude of approximately 860masl. There is access by footpath and horse trail, which are clearly signposted.
Volcan Chico is a fissure of some parasitic cones, composed of slag and lava. This fissure had its last eruption in November 1979. Its activity lasted for a period of two weeks. On 13 April 1963, Chico Volcano had even stronger eruption, the activity lasted one month, and at that time, the lava flows fell to Elizabeth Bay and covered a large sector east of the Sierra Negra volcano, consuming large sections of vegetation.
Volcan Chico is just northwest of the caldera, so it is not affected by the drizzle that always percipitates into the southeastern sector of the high islands. This is one of the reasons why Volcan Chico is in perfect condition and visitors can appreciate it when there is good visibility and sunshine.
In the northeast side of the caldera of Sierra Negra volcano, on 22 October 2005 an eruption occurred that lasted one week. The lava flow covered much of the interior of the caldera and in some places rose more than two meter.
The highlight of this hike was the destination point.
From the ridge, we saw the northern half of Isla Isabela spread out in full glory, the Wolf Volcano, the islands Fernandina, Rábida, Santa Cruz, even the tiny little islets of Cuatro Hermanos, and the striking blue waters in between them all.
When we arrived, we wanted to sit down and enjoy the view.
This was certainly not an experience to be rushed.
***
The hike out to Volcán Chico was a hike through time, where the layers of volcanic rock each speak of a different eruption.
Our guide pointed out red rusty colored rock from the eruption of 1979 and a darker, gray black rock from the more recent eruption in 2005. In fact, Volcán Chico and its surrounds are a panorama of earthy tones and the stark contrasts between rusty reds, bright golden yellows, dusty, dull ochre, and blue blacks constantly greet you on the trail.
The hike out to Volcán Chico was a hike through time, where the layers of volcanic rock each speak of a different eruption.
Our guide pointed out red rusty colored rock from the eruption of 1979 and a darker, gray black rock from the more recent eruption in 2005 and 2018. In fact, Volcán Chico and its surrounds are a panorama of earthy tones and the stark contrasts between rusty reds, bright golden yellows, dusty, dull ochre, and blue blacks constantly greet us on the trail.
This landscape photo was taken, in Europe, in France, in ile de France, in Paris, in summer. We see the Pantheon, under the Sun.
a staircase with no banister....
Unfortunately I wasn't able to walk further up. I just couldn't. :-( Being afraid of heights can really affect your photography.
'Feed me, please! No one is watching us.' Asked me quietly the male bird.
'No way!' My answer, unfortunately.
***
Darwin's finches (also known as the Galápagos finches) are a group of about 15 species of passerine birds. They are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function. They are often classified as the subfamily Geospizinae or tribe Geospizini. They belong to the tanager family and are not closely related to the true finches. The closest known relative of the Galápagos finches is the South American Tiaris obscurus. They were first collected by Charles Darwin on the Galápagos Islands during the second voyage of the Beagle. Apart from the Cocos finch, which is from Cocos Island, the others are found only on the Galápagos Islands.
The birds vary in size from 10 to 20 cm and weigh between 8 and 38 grams. The smallest are the warbler-finches and the largest is the vegetarian finch. The most important differences between species are in the size and shape of their beaks, which are highly adapted to different food sources. The birds are all dull-coloured.
This iceberg reminds me of a ramp in a skateboard park. An iceberg’s shape is constantly changing. This shape is unrecognizable from a slightly different angle of the same iceberg, afloat near St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador. This feature plus the fact that iceberg alley even exists is a huge boon to Newfoundland and Labrador these days. Icebergs were a major problem in the past:
“For centuries, this annual iceberg parade was the bane of Newfoundland and Labrador’s cod fishermen, as the hulking mammoths shredded fishing nets and split apart cod boxes while drifting along the coast on their southbound journey.
“Today, people call them majestic,” said Mayor Ernest Simms of St. Anthony…”
This landscape photo was taken, in Europe, in France, in ile de France, in Paris, in summer. We see the Pantheon, under the Sun.
The Galápagos mockingbird (Mimus parvulus) is a species of bird in the family Mimidae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
The Galápagos mockingbird is one of four mockingbird species endemic to the Galápagos Islands. These four are all closely related, and DNA evidence shows they likely all descended from an ancestor species which reached the islands in a single colonization event. When John Gould first described the species in 1837, based on specimens brought back from the islands by Charles Darwin, he named it Orpheus parvulus. However, because of the rules of binomial nomenclature, Orpheus was declared a junior synonym, and in 1841, George Robert Gray moved all of the Orpheus mockingbirds to the older genus Mimus. In 1890, Robert Ridgway created the genus Nesomimus for the mockingbirds found on the Galápagos Islands, and most taxonomists adopted the change. Recent DNA studies, however, show that the Nesomimus mockingbirds fall within the traditional genus Mimus, making the latter paraphyletic, so some taxonomists have moved them back into Mimus.
There are six subspecies, each endemic to a particular island or islands:
M. p. parvulus is found on Santa Cruz, North Seymour, Daphne Major, Isabela and Fernandina.
Like all of the mockingbirds found in the Galápagos, this species is long-tailed and relatively long-legged, with a long, slim, decurved beak.
The Galápagos mockingbird is the most widespread of the mockingbird species found in the Galápagos; it is found on most of the major (and many of the minor) islands of the archipelago.
I'm not kidding. That thing on the right is one of four ginormous plant pots each of them holding a tree.
Things you learn when attending a guided tour.
Keep running up that height.
Keep following those voices.
The world is cold and our dreams were dying.
Die Phantasie nistet gern an alten Mauern (Johann Jakob Mohr)
Sometimes the thing that you like most at a location isn't the obvious but a simple detail.
How the Galapagos mockingbird got its name…
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Metaphors aside, this quote from Harper Lee’s famous book states that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”. Fortunately, a hundred years before the book had even been written, a young Charles Darwin didn’t share this view, for if he had he may never have published his famous book. During the voyage of HMS Beagle, Darwin shot and collected hundreds of specimens including a good number of mockingbirds, or mocking-thrushes as he called them. It was these specimens more than any other that led him to develop his theory of evolution by natural selection.
Darwin noted that mockingbirds differed slightly between islands in their size, beak shape and markings but still closely resembled the mockingbirds that he had collected from mainland South America. This, along with other observations such as the differing shell shapes of giant tortoises, made him question the long-held belief that all species had been created in their current form, and it was these thoughts that led him to formulate his revolutionary theory.
Four species of mockingbird can be found in Galapagos, none of which occur anywhere else on Earth. Genetic analysis has shown that all have descended from a common ancestor, likely to be the original Galapagos settler, who’s closest living relatives are the mockingbirds found in North America.
The Galapagos mockingbird (Mimus parvulus) is by far the most common of the four species within the Archipelago and can be readily spotted in the forests and shrublands of many of the larger islands. The other three species are the Espanola (M.macdonaldi), San Cristobal (M.melanotis) and Floreana mockingbird’s (M.trifasciatus), named after the islands from which they originate. Sadly, all four species are listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the most threatened being the critically endangered Floreana mockingbird.
Once common on Floreana, the mockingbird population is now restricted to two small satellite islands and may number less than 200 individuals. The principal threats to all of the mockingbird species are predation from introduced predators (namely rats and cats) and loss of their favoured nesting and food source, the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia spp.). Fortunately, a long-term project which GCT has been involved with is focusing on restoring Floreana to a more natural state, the hope being to eventually reintroduce the Floreana mockingbird back onto its native island.
Originally named mock-birds (1640’s), mockingbirds are so named due to an interesting behaviour carried out by some species whereby they mimic the calls of insects, amphibians and other bird species. None of Galapagos’ mockingbirds perform their namesake behaviour, but they do have a series of calls which they will use under different conditions.
Amazingly, marine iguanas appear to have learnt to recognise the alarm calls of mockingbirds and have been shown to act upon them. Sounded when a predator is spotted, iguanas will often go into a heightened state of alert when an alarm call is raised. This makes sense given that the two share many of the same predators, such as the Galapagos hawk (Buteo galapagoensis), but it actually has a uniqueness to it. Whilst there are many examples in the natural world of one species reacting to the calls of another, such as meerkats reacting to fork-tailed drongo alarm calls in the Kalahari, this is the first time that it has been recorded in a non-vocalising species such as the marine iguana (an article on this behaviour can be found here). Another little Galapagos oddity!
There seems to be a strange irony in the fact that the bird that played an integral part in Darwin’s theory of evolution has evolved to no longer show the behaviour that gave it its name. What is certain is that these bold and charming birds are always a pleasure to watch in Galapagos, and are just one more reason to conserve this wonderful archipelago.
And then it was time to turn around and head back.
18 km / 11,18 miles (roundtrip)
I will not lie.
The hike back is long and hot. Even with an early morning started at 7:30 am, we were hiking up hill, on an unshaded trail, at the hottest point of the day. Granted, there is no real altitude to deal with but the hike is still a strenuous one and it is not recommended for young children or for adults who have not put in some hiking miles before visiting. And even when you got back to the crater rim at Sierra Negra and could once again see that glorious caldera spread out in the afternoon light, our hike was not done.
We might've been wishing for the clouds and a little rain to help cool things down for the last hour back down the mountain.
On the day we completed this hike, we were fortunate to go back the same way than we had climbed. It was raining with the slick mud that we hadn't faced on the uphill climb.
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The hike Chico Volcán is normally combined with the day hike to Sierra Negra itself. In combination, the entire combined hike took about 5-6 hours to accomplish. Make sure to carry plenty of water, a high energy snack, and sun protection, especially a hat and sunglasses as the glare of the equatorial sun on the stark landscape is harsh. And take these things even when the day looks cloudy from your start point in Puerto Villamil.
The far side of Volcán Sierra Negra experiences a completely different weather pattern that is not easily guessed from the port town. If you’ve rented rain boots for the muddy trail up Volcán Sierra Negra, pack your hiking boots for the trail down the other side.
***
The guide released us to make our way back at our own pace, so I took the opportunity to run/jog and loosen my muscles (climbing 4 volcanos in the 4 days).
It was the eighth and last volcano on that trip. There are no more climbs.
I must have reached the starting point 45 minutes before everyone else. I took a nap.
Swimming (snorkeling) and hiking will start tomorrow.
Hike Sierra Negra and Chico Volcanoes,
This day tour explored the unique volcanic landscape of Isabela Island and the 2nd largest caldera in the world
I don't know what you think of when you think of the Galapagos, but giant volcanoes was one of the things that was in my head. This day tour (around $40-$60) took us to the second largest caldera in the world, and then explored the lava fields of Sierra Negra.
I was picked up at your hotel in town in the morning, and the drive to the island's interior to start our hike. After a long upwards grade on a wide trail, we reached a lookout point on the caldera's rim. It is MASSIVE. Too big to fit in a single picture massive. After snapping a couple pictures and stopping for a snack, we continued off the rim, and descended towards Volcan Chico. We left the more forested area and crossed a huge lava field towards the more recently active area. We saw the remnants of lava waterfalls, lava rivers, and where there were actual eruptions. It's quite an incredible landscape, more reminiscent of Iceland than the Galapagos!
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The tour began by taking a 45 minute vehicle transport into the highlands until we reached the Galapagos National Park Control Point at 900 meters above sea level.
From there we ascended on foot for approximately 45 minutes until we reached the edge of the Sierra Negra caldera. The caldera landscape is mostly flat and we walked for approximately 1 hour around a section of the volcano edge.
Here we enjoyed our included lunch and then, we took the trail to Volcan Chico and the new trail recently opened by the Galapagos National Park to Sierra Negra Volcano’s last eruption site.
After that the transport picked us up to return to Puerto Villamil.