Fernandina Island
This island is a long time favourite of the naturalists in Galápagos. When a visitor asks, “Which one is your favourite island?” It is not an easy decision because every single island has its own charm and particular beauty. Anyway, most of the naturalists, including me, will answer emphatically: Fernandina!
But, what makes this island so special? I believe it is the result of a great combination of factors. It is a very young island; it is considered to be only 300,000 years old, and due to recent studies, probably even less. It is very active – the last eruption of the majestic volcano that crowns the island, known as “the summit,” took place as recently as 1995. Volcanic features are therefore breathtaking. Huge lava flows merge in an artistic way with the blue ocean.
In addition to this fantastic landscape, wildlife on this island is quite spectacular. Today we had a great walk. We observed several flightless cormorants on the shoreline. The Galápagos archipelago constitutes the only place on earth where it is possible to see this very interesting bird. Large marine iguanas were basking in the sun everywhere. This is a very interesting time of the year to come to the Galápagos: marine iguanas are nesting! What a great opportunity to see these incredible reptiles digging holes. Females were very busy; this is the third week since they started to nest and there are many nests everywhere.
To top the day off, all of us took a Zodiac ride along the coastline of Fernandina and observed the Galápagos penguins. Some of these beautiful creatures were busy fishing, while some others were resting on the rocks after a great meal. What a fantastic day!
This island is a long time favourite of the naturalists in Galápagos. When a visitor asks, “Which one is your favourite island?” It is not an easy decision because every single island has its own charm and particular beauty. Anyway, most of the naturalists, including me, will answer emphatically: Fernandina!
But, what makes this island so special? I believe it is the result of a great combination of factors. It is a very young island; it is considered to be only 300,000 years old, and due to recent studies, probably even less. It is very active – the last eruption of the majestic volcano that crowns the island, known as “the summit,” took place as recently as 1995. Volcanic features are therefore breathtaking. Huge lava flows merge in an artistic way with the blue ocean.
In addition to this fantastic landscape, wildlife on this island is quite spectacular. Today we had a great walk. We observed several flightless cormorants on the shoreline. The Galápagos archipelago constitutes the only place on earth where it is possible to see this very interesting bird. Large marine iguanas were basking in the sun everywhere. This is a very interesting time of the year to come to the Galápagos: marine iguanas are nesting! What a great opportunity to see these incredible reptiles digging holes. Females were very busy; this is the third week since they started to nest and there are many nests everywhere.
To top the day off, all of us took a Zodiac ride along the coastline of Fernandina and observed the Galápagos penguins. Some of these beautiful creatures were busy fishing, while some others were resting on the rocks after a great meal. What a fantastic day!
