At Isla Fernandina, the youngest of all the islands, we landed on lava at Punta Espinosa. Fernandina is an absolute paradise. We wandered over the lava fields with their tidal pools, clumps of Lava Cacti and beaches where bull Sea Lions patrolled the surf. Turtles raised their heads from the water all around, Flightless Cormorants nested on the promontories, huge concentrations of inky black Marine Iguanas stretched out motionless, warming themselves in the sun. A hawk sat tearing at a young iguana carcass, a flock of Boobies dive-bombed the water offshore, and Lava Lizards scurried after the Sally Lightfoot Crabs. It was truly like a vision of Eden.
As the sun sank low in the sky we took one of the zodiacs across the bay amongst diving Cormorants, frisky Sea Lion pups and surfacing Galápagos Green Turtles. Along the edges of the lava flows, pairs of Galápagos Penguins watched us nervously as we admired and photographed them. One of the smallest of the species, the Galápagos Penguin is the only one to breed entirely within the tropics and the only one found north of the equator. It is similar to the Magellanic or Jackass penguin which can be seen in both Patagonia and near Cape Town, South Africa. Back on the ship we were treated to an exceptionally picturesque equatorial sunset, the sun slipping quickly into the sea behind the rocks.