Galapagos Islands
Marine Iguana
Isabela is the largest island in the archipielago with a size of 4588 km2, about 58% of the land mass of the Galapagos. It is a fairly young islands dominated by volcanoes, of which Volcan Wolf is the highest (1707 meters). Most (small) boats don't pass over to this island because most of the visitor sites are in the west, which means a distance of 200 km (around the island) has to be completed. This however is impossible on just a short cruise. Nevertheless Isla Isabella has a lot of visitor sites. One of them is the Volcan Alcedo (1128 meters) in the center of the island. This volcano is famous for its 7 km wide caldera and steaming fumaroles. Since the trip is quite long and exhausting your are advised to stay over the night. It is possible to camp alongside the caldera and close to the fumaroles. On the northern tip of Isla Isabella is Punta Albemarle. This used to be an old US radar base during the second world war. Nowadays it is one of the best sites to view the flightless cormorant. There are known to be more colonies on the west of the island as well as Galapagos penguins and other seabirds but since there are no visitor sites there you will have to view them from the boat. On the western side of the Island, at the base of the Alcedo volcano is Urbina Bay , this bay was uplifted in 1954 evidence of this includes a coral reef on land. Here you can encounter flightless cormorants, pelicans, marine iguanas as well as rays of turtles that are spread out in the bay. Just south of the base of the Darwin volcano one finds Tagus Cove , where you can follow a trail past a saltwater lagoon and onto the lower slopes of the Darwin volcano, here you can observe several volcanic formations.
Waved Albatross
Further down the trail you will find a steep section alongside cliffs. Here you can view Galapagos penguins as well as the flightless cormorant. Volcano Sierra Negra, located at the southern end of Isabela, is one of the best and most impressive examples of a volcano in the archipelago. This is the second largest crater in the world after the Ngorongoro crater in Africa
Fernandina is the third largest, the youngest and most western island in the Galapagos that receives visitors. It recently formed volcanic landscape is very impressive. Since 1813 a lot of eruptions have been recorded of which the latest occurred in 1995. Hence this is the island where you are most likely to witness an volcanic eruption. The only visitor site on the island at Puerto Espinosa, just across from Tagus cove, is outstanding. The point is known for its large concentration of endemic marine iguanas. They are found by the thousands at Puerto Espinosa. Other species that can be found here are the flightless cormorant, Galapagos penguins and sea lions.
Marchena is the largest island not to have visitor sites even though it has very good scuba-diving sites. Only Diving tours visit the island. In 1991 this island presented volcanic activity and in the past, it was possible to see the lava eruptions from vessels cruising by the norther part.
Pinta Island is famous for being home of Lonesome George, one of the biggest species of tortoises in the Galapagos. There are landing sites but no visitor sites.
Tortoise
Genovesa
Genovesa is a formation of submerged edges of a crater. Known as "the bird island", it is the best place to see a red-footed booby colony and it also provides great opportunity to visit other bird colonies, such as: masked boobies, frigate birds, swallow-tailed gulls, red-billed tropic birds, Galapagos doves, short-eared owls, Pintail ducks, and much more... Also species of sea lions can be found here as well as hammerhead sharks if you go snorkeling. On of the visitor sites at Genovesa is Darwin Bay Beach a coral beach with a trail that leads to more seabird colonies. At Prince Philip's Steps many visitors climb to the plateau to take a glance at many seabirds and storm petrels nesting and wheeling overhead.
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