Fernandina Island - the Galápagos Islands

The third-largest Galapagos Island, Fernandina, was first mapped in 1684 by the British pirate Ambrose Cowley, who originally named it Narborough. The Spanish name Fernandina refers to King Fernando of Spain.

It is the youngest and westernmost of the Galapagos Islands, situated directly on the geological hotspot and therefore considered one of the most volcanically active islands. The La Cumbre volcano erupts regularly – since the establishment of the National Park, 13 eruptions have been recorded. During an eruption in 1968, the caldera collapsed.

Since the island was never inhabited, and thus no foreign species were introduced, its ecosystem was able to develop largely undisturbed. Today, two species of endemic rice rats, largely extinct on other islands, can still be found here. There is a particularly large colony of land iguanas nesting on the edge and inside the volcano’s caldera. The cold and species-rich waters of the Cromwell Current between Isabela and Fernandina provide ideal living conditions for Galapagos penguins and flightless cormorants. The latter are endangered and only found in the western part of the archipelago.

In the otherwise sparse vegetation, the reddish-yellow-brown lava cactus stands out. Large parts of the island are lined with mangroves. Traveling by boat along the coasts allows you to observe the biodiversity of this unique ecosystem.

Fernandina is only visited as part of a cruise with the western route, for example, with the yachts Galaxy, Sea Star Journey, Calipso, and Estrella del Mar. We are happy to find the best route for you so that you don’t miss out on this unique island.