Fernandina Island is the third largest and youngest island in the Galapagos Islands. This island is an active shield volcano whose last eruption was in August 2007. This island was formed by a hot spot of the Galapagos. The southern side of this volcano had a fissure during the eruption that generated flows that lasted for hours.
This is the youngest and westernmost island in the archipelago. He was named in honor of King Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored the voyage of Christopher Columbus. On February 14, 1825, while anchoring in the Bay of Banks, Captain Benjamin Morrell recorded one of the biggest eruptions in the Galapagos history of the Fernandina volcano. His ship was put to good cover and his account of the fact was preserved.
Fernandina has an area of 642 km2 and an altitude of 1.476 meters (4.842 feet), with a boiler of about 6.5 km wide. The boiler collapsed in 1968, when parts of the boiler floor fell 350 meters. A small lake has intermittently occupied the North caldera floor, more recently in 1988.
Due to the recent volcanic activity, the island does not show much life and has more of a gray environment. Visitors to the Fernandina Island will be taken to see only the skirts of the crater for safety reasons. Punta Espinoza, located on the north-east coast of the island, is a narrow strip of land where hundreds of marine iguanas gather in large groups on black lava rocks. The famous non-flying Cormorant inhabit this island as well as penguins, pelicans and sea lions. Two types of lava flows can be observed. Mangrove swamps also abound on the island.
Because it is not a safe visitors will only be taken to Punta Espinoza and see only the skirts of the crater for safety reasons, you can take a boat to make the tour from Puerto Villamil.
FDS TRAVEL GALAPAGOS TOURS Friday 21 February 2025
Tourism
