Genovesa (Tower) Island
We set sail at midnight, leaving the inhabited Santa Cruz behind, our destination one of the most singular and pristine of the Galápagos Islands: Genovesa. We sailed due north east to reach this island, situated in the more tropical north of the archipelago, separated from the rest of the group by deep waters that cut it off geographically - an isolation that is responsible for Genovesa being completely devoid of terrestrial reptiles or mammals (even of the few that inhabit the rest of the Galápagos).
It is however home to myriad colourful birds, making a visit here a remarkable seabird experience, unparalleled anywhere else this week – possibly ever! The lack of lava lizards, staple diet to the Galápagos hawk, means this raptor is absent from the island – a fact fully appreciated by the hundreds of thousands of red-footed boobies that nest on Galápagos. This fully ocean-going seabird does not peacefully cohabitate with the hawks, so it tends to be found on more remote islands, closer to its feeding grounds and undisturbed by hawks. Another species affected by the absence of the hawk is the short-eared owl, a lesser predator that has expanded its usually nocturnal habits to hunting at day to fill a niche otherwise left empty.
Genovesa is in fact sometimes dubbed “Bird” or “Hitchcock” Island, as other seabirds that breed here in huge numbers are the Nazca boobies, the great frigate birds and the swallow-tailed gulls (a species found only in Galápagos, with minor exceptions in Colombia). The Galápagos hot season, in which we are found right now, is the best season to visit this particular island – the rains have caused the drought-deciduous vegetation to explode into leaf, coating the often arid island in a bright green cloak, and the frigate birds are everywhere inflating their startlingly red pouches to attract females to their nesting area.
We reached Genovesa at six in the morning, and had a great adventure as we sailed into a flooded caldera – one of very few places in the world where one can have such an experience. Once lined up with the range, surrounded by a welcome committee of young red-footed boobies and frigate birds, our captain took us over the shallow ledge marking the caldera’s outer wall and into the deep waters within. We dropped anchor in the only place shallow enough, on the far side of the massive circular bay named “Darwin Bay", surrounded on all sides by towering cliffs within which the layers of dense lava forming the island were clearly visible. We then had the whole day to explore the area at leisure and fully enjoy being inside the caldera – a couple of different nature hikes in the morning or afternoon, great photographic opportunities, Zodiac cruises and snorkelling in warm tropical waters, and even the opportunity to kayak round the bay in the late afternoon. There were options for all, and we could each choose the way we most enjoyed becoming immersed in this abundant and wonderful nature and scenery.
We set sail at midnight, leaving the inhabited Santa Cruz behind, our destination one of the most singular and pristine of the Galápagos Islands: Genovesa. We sailed due north east to reach this island, situated in the more tropical north of the archipelago, separated from the rest of the group by deep waters that cut it off geographically - an isolation that is responsible for Genovesa being completely devoid of terrestrial reptiles or mammals (even of the few that inhabit the rest of the Galápagos).
It is however home to myriad colourful birds, making a visit here a remarkable seabird experience, unparalleled anywhere else this week – possibly ever! The lack of lava lizards, staple diet to the Galápagos hawk, means this raptor is absent from the island – a fact fully appreciated by the hundreds of thousands of red-footed boobies that nest on Galápagos. This fully ocean-going seabird does not peacefully cohabitate with the hawks, so it tends to be found on more remote islands, closer to its feeding grounds and undisturbed by hawks. Another species affected by the absence of the hawk is the short-eared owl, a lesser predator that has expanded its usually nocturnal habits to hunting at day to fill a niche otherwise left empty.
Genovesa is in fact sometimes dubbed “Bird” or “Hitchcock” Island, as other seabirds that breed here in huge numbers are the Nazca boobies, the great frigate birds and the swallow-tailed gulls (a species found only in Galápagos, with minor exceptions in Colombia). The Galápagos hot season, in which we are found right now, is the best season to visit this particular island – the rains have caused the drought-deciduous vegetation to explode into leaf, coating the often arid island in a bright green cloak, and the frigate birds are everywhere inflating their startlingly red pouches to attract females to their nesting area.
We reached Genovesa at six in the morning, and had a great adventure as we sailed into a flooded caldera – one of very few places in the world where one can have such an experience. Once lined up with the range, surrounded by a welcome committee of young red-footed boobies and frigate birds, our captain took us over the shallow ledge marking the caldera’s outer wall and into the deep waters within. We dropped anchor in the only place shallow enough, on the far side of the massive circular bay named “Darwin Bay", surrounded on all sides by towering cliffs within which the layers of dense lava forming the island were clearly visible. We then had the whole day to explore the area at leisure and fully enjoy being inside the caldera – a couple of different nature hikes in the morning or afternoon, great photographic opportunities, Zodiac cruises and snorkelling in warm tropical waters, and even the opportunity to kayak round the bay in the late afternoon. There were options for all, and we could each choose the way we most enjoyed becoming immersed in this abundant and wonderful nature and scenery.
