Fernandina
The westernmost—and youngest—of the main islands, has the highest
volcanic activity of any of the islands, the most recent eruption having
occurred in May of 2005. The island has one visitor site, Punta Espinosa
, where flightless cormorants, pelicans, penguins, sea lions, and an
abundance of marine iguanas reside. There are two short trails that lead
to recently formed lava fields, where visitors can see pahoehoe and aa
lava types and pioneer plants.
Because the cold Cromwell current has its greatest impact on water
temperature and nutrient upwelling in the western archipelago, the
marine ecosystem surrounding Fernandina is extremely resource-rich. Here
there is an abundance of organisms not found anywhere else in the
archipelago. The area has even been declared a Whale Sanctuary, because
it serves as a feeding area for Bryde's whales, pilot whales, and
bottlenose dolphins.
The wildlife you will see on your Galapagos tour are completely
unaffected by Galapagos travel visitors . For this reason, there is a
restricted number of visitors permitted into the Galapagos each year, as
part of a joint effort to protect the delicate environmental and ecological
equilibrium. The most sensible method of Galapagos travel is via our cruise
ships. The M/V Galapagos Legend provides 3 night, 4 night and 7 night
cruises to select from, which can also be easily merged with Galapagos
travel visits to neighboring South American locations