Española Island, on the southeastern end of the archipelago, is an old shield volcano. This island is slowly but surely losing the battle against the elements, after drifting over 200 kilometers from its birthplace. AS of today, it is positioned on top of the Nazca plate, having drifted so far from its birth place and effectively losing all influence of the Galapagos Hotspot, the life force that fuels most volcanic activity in this group of islands. Despite being presently only a fraction of its original size, it is still home to vast numbers of sea birds, as well as an endemic species of mockingbird and lava lizard, unique not only to the archipelago, but specifically to Española. We explored the northeastern end of the island at Gardner Bay and nearby Gardner Islet during the morning and the western end at Suarez Point during the afternoon.
10/4/2024
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National Geographic Endeavour II
Genovesa Island
With coffee in hand, I stepped out onto the front balcony of the lounge to see what was going on. We had just entered Darwin’s Bay, dropped anchor, and the juvenile red-footed boobies had found the ship and were flying around us on an inspection tour. The rest of the day continued with discoveries of all kinds. An early morning inversion layer (locally known as “garúa”) had fallen and dampened the environment with much desired drops of fresh water, although the chicks of various species didn’t appear terribly pleased in having wet feathers. On our return, the same bedraggled individuals looked smooth, sleek and dry once the sun had come out. The Galapagos National Park has only two sites for visitors, both spectacular, both well worth a slow walk among the palo santo trees to see the great frigatebirds, red-footed boobies, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, Darwin’s finches, short-eared owls, and storm petrels. Snorkeling, kayaking, and paddleboarding along the base of the cliffs of Darwin’s Bay followed. There’s nothing quite like this island anywhere in the world.