Ecuador
Punta Espinoza, Fernandina Island
Punta Espinoza: Marine Iguanas on Fernandina's Lava Point
Fernandina, where Punta Espinoza lies, is the youngest island in the Galápagos and has no inhabitants. Marine iguanas nest on this point in the first months of the year, and their young appear around June.
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A Guided Landing
Punta Espinoza is a land visitor site of Galápagos National Park on Fernandina's northeast coast, where the activity allowed is walking, always with a park-certified naturalist guide. The park sets every cruise itinerary, so your ship decides when you come ashore.
- Groups have no more than 16 passengers for each naturalist guide.
- Two walks start from the landing. One stays on the small peninsula; the other heads inland over smooth pahoehoe lava and ends at a high wall of rough aa lava.
- On the shore you may meet sea lions, Sally Lightfoot crabs and penguins as well as the iguanas and cormorants. Galápagos hawks and land iguanas turn up now and then.
- Look down for lava cactus. It gets by on almost no water and is among the first plants to colonize fresh lava.
Visiting Rules
Everything at Punta Espinoza is national park land, and the park's rules apply at every step of the walk. They are short and strict.
- Keep to the marked trail.
- Stay at least two meters from every animal, even one that walks toward you, and never feed it.
- Photograph wildlife without flash.
- Bring no food, plants or animals ashore, and do not take or buy souvenirs made from black coral, shells, lava rock, animal parts, or native wood or plants.
- No smoking anywhere in the park, and all litter goes back to the ship.
A Changing Shore
Volcanic activity has raised and lowered the ground at Punta Espinoza many times. Its animals have been through hard times too.
- 1959: Ecuador declared the islands' national park, and Fernandina lies inside it.
- 1975: The point rose by about 40 cm, leaving corals and red mangroves out of the water.
- 1983: An El Niño event cut the flightless cormorant population in half, to about 400 birds. It recovered quickly, to an estimated 900 by 1999.
- Island by island: Marine iguanas differ from island to island, and those on Fernandina carry the most elaborate spines.
- To learn more ashore: The Charles Darwin Research Station, on Academy Bay in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, has exhibits on the islands' natural history.
Punta Espinoza with Children
Punta Espinoza suits children who can walk on uneven lava in strong sun and stay close to the guide. What you see changes with the seasons.
- Younger children: Marine iguanas bask on the rocks after feeding in the cold sea, and their dark skin helps them warm up quickly. See how many you can count.
- School age: The iguanas nest here early in the year, and the young appear around June, when snakes are commonly seen in the nesting area. Flightless cormorants tend to nest from April to October.
- Teenagers: About 95 percent of Galápagos penguins live around Fernandina and the west coast of Isabela, and they are the only penguins found north of the equator. Ask your guide how the cold Cromwell Current makes that possible.
Accessible Travel
Getting ashore can mean a slippery step onto wet rock, and rocky paths are hard going for anyone with limited mobility or balance, although most Galápagos walks are not strenuous. At Punta Espinoza the inland walk crosses open lava.
- Before you book, ask the ship how the transfer to shore works and which of the two walks suits you.
- Bring a hat, water and sun protection.
- Travel health insurance is mandatory for foreign visitors entering the Galápagos.
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