Travel Galapagos Islands & Ecuador

Isla Fernandina

Even by Galápagos standards, Fernandina
is especially unique. It’s home to thousands
of lethargic marine iguanas and for the volcanically
minded it’s the island you’ll most
likely witness an eruption; the most recent
occurred in May 2005. At 642 sq km, Fernandina
is the third-largest island and the
westernmost and youngest of the main islands.
Unlike other parts of the Galápagos,
no introduced species have taken root here.
The one visitor site at Punta Espinoza, just
across from Tagus Cove on Isabela is a
memorable one. Marine iguanas, too many
to count, can be seen sunning themselves
on the black lava formations, a dramatic
sight that looks like a museum diorama on
dinosaurs come to life. Flightless cormorants
nest nearby and Galápagos penguins,
turtles and sea lions sometimes frolic in an
admirable display of multispecies tolerance
in the lagoon near the landing.
A dry landing brings you to two trails: a
250m trail to the point and a 750m trail to
recently formed lava fields. Here you can
see various pioneering plants, such as the
Brachycereus cactus, as well as pahoehoe
and aa lava formations. Several movies,
most famously Master and Commander,
filmed scenes here in front of a now iconic
white mangrove tree.

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Tags: Galapagos, The Islands