- Ship
- 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Before landing, make an inflatable dinghy ride along the eastern arm of the caldera. While you approach, the massive 25 m / 80 ft high walls become overwhelming. Sometimes, a Galapagos fur seal is resting, or a seabird is nesting on one of the ledges at the base. Then, you have to hike and overcome the steep stairs from the landing dock to a bush of palo santo shrubs on top. Red-footed boobies gratefully use these scarce nesting places; so that they don’t have to nest on the rocky ground. On arriving at the seaside of the rim, the bushes open up, and you can enjoy wide views, a strong sea breeze, and the amazing flying skills of uncountable seabirds. Following the exposed seaside rim, pass the Nazca boobies and finally reach the extensive storm petrel nesting places, where you might be lucky to spot the well-camouflaged short-eared owl hunting for them on foot!
In the afternoon, head to Darwin Bay. Inside the submerged caldera of Genovesa lies Darwin Bay, with a diameter of more than 1,5 km / 1 mi, and it is almost 200 m / 650 ft deep. The small area surprises you repeatedly, walking along a coral sand beach, crossing barren lava formations and creeks, passing tidal pools, shrubs, and further ahead following the top of some cliffs. With this peaceful surrounding, every species has occupied its ecological niche (or habitat) without disturbing others.