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Even though the Galapagos Islands
are not especially mountainous, they do rise to significant heights
in several places, seeming to be more then the height above sea
level suggest as you are almost certainly going to start any trip at
sea level. Volcan Wolf on Isabela is the highest point in the
archipelago at 1707 m/5600 ft, with several other islands having
points well over 2000ft. This makes for some impressive and
spectacular views if the hiker only manages a short distance up
hill.
This is Darwin Lake, a small lagoon
in a crater very near Tagus Cove that is thought to have been formed
by a tidal wave when a volcano on Fernandina Island (in the
background) erupted. The lake is a very unusual feature being
slightly above sea level and twice as salty as sea water. As water
evaporates from the lake, water is replenished from the sea via the
porous rocks that separate the sea from the water in the crater.
There is a line of salt encrustation along the water's edge of the
lake.
Picture courtesy NOAA |
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