Following is a brief description of the islands.
Santiago (San Salvador or James)
Beautiful scenery surrounds the landing on Santiago's Puerto Egas, with steep cliffs and pinnacles stuffed with hundreds of sea birds and a beach scattered with Marine Iguanas feeding on algae. You'll hike a trail across the remains of a salt mine from the 1950s, and wind up at the Fur Seal Grottos–one of the best places to see these playful creature in the islands. Across Santiago, at Sullivan Bay, you'll see the vast lava field formed only 100 years ago, and enjoy swimming and snorkelling in the deep, blue waters with Sea Lions.
Bartolome (Bartholomew)
Climb to the highest point on Bartolome for spectacular panoramas of the archipelago and Pinnacle Rock. You'll hike across moonscapes of lava fields, and perhaps see a Lava Lizard scurrying off the path. Back at Pinnacle Rock, you can see Galapagos Penguins and other marine life. On the other side of the island, sea turtles can often be found nesting or wading in the shallows with White-tipped Reef Sharks.
North Seymour
Just north of the island of Baltra, North Seymour hosts a large colony of Magnificent Frigate Birds as well as a sizeable population of Sea Lions. Blue-footed Boobies show off their courtship dances here, and rare Swallow-tailed Gulls rest on the nearby cliff sides.
Baltra
Though not officially part of the Galapagos National Park, Baltra is home to one of the two airports in the archipelago. Many flights arrive here from the mainland, where it is a short bus ride to the harbour where cruises start. The airport was originally constructed as part of a United States military installation during World War II, and now serves as an Ecuadorian naval base.
Fernandina (Narborough)
The westernmost island of the Galapagos, and geologically the youngest, Fernandina has the distinction of being the only island in the chain with no introduced animal species. Here, you'll find larger groups of Marine Iguanas than on any other island, and you can watch them bask in the sun, swim, and feed underwater on seaweed. Tour the mangrove forests along shore by boat, as Galapagos Penguins dive past you into the water. Further inland, cross lava fields to catch a glimpse of the Flightless Cormorant which, because of the lack of predation, evolved to find food in the surrounding rich ocean, rather than on the parched land.
Isabela (Albemarle)
Isabela is the largest island in the Galapagos, and boasts the archipelago's highest point, Wolf Volcano. On the way to Tagus Cove–historically used by pirates and whalers–you might catch sight of whales and dolphins in the channel. Along the beach you may see Galapagos Penguins, Flightless Cormorants and pelicans before heading inland to hike through the uplands, past a saltwater lake for views of Darwin and Wolf Volcanoes.
Urbina Bay hosts fascinating evidence of recent geological activity: its coral reef was raised 13 feet out of the ocean in 1954! It is also home to land iguanas and a population of Galapagos Tortoises. At Elizabeth Bay you'll be greeted by a colony of Penguins, and enjoy a boat ride through the mangroves to see rays, turtles and Sea Lions. Punto Moreno's desolate but impressive landscape of lava fields are dotted with lagoons that attract wildlife, such as Darwin's finches, Galapagos Doves, penguins, Flightless Cormorants, Blue-footed Boobies and mockingbirds.
Rabida (Jervis)
Known as "the red island" for the iron-rich sand on its beaches, Jervis is just south of Santiago. A colony of Sea Lions lives on the beach, and noisily welcomes you to land. A trail leads inland to a briny lagoon where flamingos sometimes take up residence, and finches, doves, yellow warblers and mockingbirds can be found along the hike.
San Cristobal (Chatham)
This easternmost island of the Galapagos is also home to the capital of Galapagos province, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. The town features an Interpretation Centre of the Galapagos National Park, which presents a complete history of the Galapagos and information on its ecosystems, plants and animals. A nearby nature trail leads to Frigatebird Hill, with a large colony of both Magnificent and Great Frigate birds. Across a small channel from San Cristobal is Isla Lobos, named for the Sea Lions that frolic here, and which is also a nesting place for Blue-footed Boobies.
Floreana (Santa Maria or Charles)
Floreana has a colourful history, having been a stopping place for pirates, whalers and settler. In 1793 a "post office" was established by an English whaler–a barrel in a secluded bay. In the 1930s a German family settled near Post Office Bay and still lives on the island. The barrel is still in use, and you can drop your letters and postcards in to be sent anywhere in the world. Nearby Punta Cormorant has beautiful beaches, often used by sea turtles as a nesting site, interrupted only by a saltwater lagoon frequented by flamingos and wading birds.
Santa Cruz (Indefatigable)
Puerto Ayora, the largest town among the inhabited island, is the home base for the Charles Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park offices. The station runs a Galapagos Tortoise breeding and rearing centre for this endangered giant tortoise species. The Santa Cruz Highlands are a stark contrast to the arid landscapes of the other islands, with its lush greenery. A visit to the lava tunnels and Twin Craters rounds out the highland exploration. The tidal lagoon Black Turtle Cove is filled with sharks, two kinds of rays and Marine Iguanas, swimming among the mangroves. Nearby Las Bachas is a nesting site for sea turtles, and also features Marine Iguanas and flamingos.
Española (Hood)
The southernmost–and most isolated–island of the Galapagos is also home to many animals found nowhere else in the archipelago. One of these, the Waved Albatross, can be found nesting at Punta Suarez. Sea Lions surf by as you land, and Marine Iguanas bask in the sun. One of the largest colonies of Blue-footed Boobies in the islands is here, mingling with the Galapagos Doves and finches, near to the famous blowhole, where water spurts through the lava climbing up to 75 feet in the air! Enjoy the white sand beaches at Gardner Bay as mockingbirds land at your feet.
South Plazas
One of the smallest visited islands at just over a half-mile across, South Plazas is home to one of the largest Sea Lion colonies in the islands, with over 1,000 individuals. An inland forest of cactus is filled with golden coloured land iguanas, and Swallow-tailed gulls, Tropicbirds and Shearwaters roost along the cliff's edge.
Genovesa (Tower)
Well-deserving of it's name "bird island," Genovesa's Darwin Bay is filled with Frigate birds, Swallow-tailed gulls, and Red-footed Boobies. Herons and Lava Gulls feed along the shore of a tidal lagoon as Tropicbirds cruise overhead. Prince Philip's Steps, a natural rock formation, leads to a plateau among the high cliffs of Darwin Bay. Here you'll see Masked and Red-footed boobies, and perhaps even the elusive Short-eared Owl. |
