Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Fernandina Island offers no modern facilities and is accessible only
as part of prearranged island tours. It is reached via a long overseas
passage that includes traveling around the enormous Isabela Island,
so the shorter tours with smaller boats are less likely to visit here.
Genovesa (Tower) Island
Genovesa Island is farther northeast than any other island. None of
the five-day tours and only some of the better eight-day tours visit
Genovesa.
If you do manage to visit, however, you certainly won't be disap-
pointed - especially if you are an avid birder. In addition to masked
boobies, frigate birds, gulls, short-eared owls, and tropicbirds, there
is also a large red-footed booby colony and an enormous colony of
stormy petrels. The trail to the top of the cliff is known as Prince
Phillip's Steps (El Baranco). It passes by various seabird nests and
along the cliff's edge, where swarms of stormy petrels perform aerial
acrobatics.
At
Darwin Bay
the scenery is spectacular, with rich green water
surrounded by high cliffs and an abundance of marine life. A trail
here follows the beach. This area and the lagoon just beyond the shore
are great places to wander around and soak up the sea life. The bay it-
self offers snorkeling opportunities (hammerhead sharks frequent
the area), although the water is a cloudy, olive-green color and may
provide only limited visibility.
Genovesa Island offers no modern facilities and is accessible only as
part of prearranged island tours. It is included on some of the eight-
day or longer cruises.
Marchena & Pinta Islands
The 50-square-mile Isla Marchena is east of Genovesa and is one of
the northernmost members of the Galápagos chain. Its distance from
civilization, combined with its lack of official visitors' sights, makes
Marchena one of the least-visited islands. It is a popular and re-
nowned scuba diving destination for those wishing to get away from it
all.
Marchena Island offers no modern facilities and is accessible only as
part of a prearranged island tour. It may be included on some of the
eight-day or longer cruises or as part of a specialized diving tour of the
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