A very small island in the northern part of Galapagos, Genovesa was named after Genoa, where Columbus was born. Genovesa is also a collapsing volcano, and sailors and sea captains must be very careful when steering a ship inside the caldera, one of only three navigable calderas in the world.
Once inside, the landscape is like something from a movie. A caldera surrounded by volcanic walls full of life, particularly birds, such as frigatebirds, gulls, terns, petrels, and shearwaters. Genovesa is also home to one of the largest colonies of red-footed boobies.
We started our explorations early in the morning, before most of the adult birds leave the island to fish. As the day gets hotter, only nesting birds and chicks remain. At 6:15 am, we disembarked at a beach called Darwin Bay, where we were greeted by hundreds of birds flying and resting on bushes, ready for our cameras. After returning to the ship for breakfast, we went kayaking and snorkeling, where we got very close to Galapagos sea lions and fur seals. Another fantastic experience.
