Genovesa Island
Genovesa is one of the most beautiful islands in the Galápagos archipelago. For many visitors it turns out to be the highlight of their trip. Certainly it is one of the jewels in the crown, with a lot to see and a lot to learn. This island is home to thousands of seabirds as well as land birds, among them the iconic Darwin’s finches and short-eared owls.
In the morning we landed at Prince Philip’s Steps for a walk in the holly stick forest to explore the nesting area of the red-footed boobies that nest here by the thousands! As soon as we landed we were surrounded by seabirds of all kinds and sizes. Nazca boobies and frigatebirds are the largest on the island, with large colonies of several thousand individuals.
As we walked on Genovesa it seemed that we were visiting a barnyard full of fearless birds. All the birds are in their breeding cycle. Birds start breeding here as soon as the cool water from Antarctica bathes the archipelago. In other words, this is the best time to visit the Galápagos!
In the afternoon we explored another place on the same island; this time we landed on a white sandy beach for a relaxed walk along the shore, observing birds, the landscape and photographing. Here the wildlife is superb; we had a great show performed by a flock of yellow-crowned night herons eating crabs and taking baths in the tide pools. Red-footed boobies were in courtship and building nests.
It was another day in paradise!
