Visiting Fernandina Island in the Galápagos • The Blonde Abroad

I was lucky to visit many pristine destinations in the Galápagos while on a weeklong cruise with Ecoventura, onboard the MV Origin yacht.

On the fifth day of my Galápagos cruise, I finally got to see Fernandina Island.

Fernandina Island is one of the most remote places in the Galápagos Islands and lies just over 500 miles from mainland Ecuador. Since my cruise was eight days long, Fernandina Island landed right in the middle of my trip. I had seen lots of wildlife up to now, but I was seriously blown away by the landscape and volcanic rock formations of this island especially.

We had a great day out here—and it was the first day we got sun before noon! The sun started shinning at ten a.m. and it was the perfect temperature for exploring.

Fernandina Island

The largest pristine island in the world, this is also the youngest island in the Galápagos. And when I say the youngest, I mean around one million years old. On top of being the youngest…

this island is also the most active volcanically!

The islands of Fernandina and Isabela have the largest iguanas you will find anywhere in the Galápagos. And the beach! The coastlines are gorgeous, and there are amazing cracks all over the lava. You’ll definitely want to have your camera handy.

Punta Espinosa

This is probably my fave spot in the Galápagos. The beach is a long stretch of lava and sand on Fernandina. We went for a short walk along the peninsula then followed along the edge of the lava rock for a long journey around.

Punta Espinosa is like walking around inside of a Nat Geo special.

The area is full of mangroves, tons of lava rock, and gorgeous lava cactus bunches. There are penguins, seals (lots of babies!), and blue-footed boobies everywhere you look.

After spending an incredible morning exploring Fernandina Island, we headed back to the MV Origin for lunch.

There was a ceviche snack waiting for us, which was SUPER yummy! The Galápagos has its own unique style of ceviche, so it’s definitely something you will want to add to your must-have experiences on the islands.