Fernandina Island, also known in Spanish as Isla Fernandina and less commonly by its English name of Narborough Island, is one of Galapagos Islands of Ecuador. It is the largest pristine island in the archipelago, with no introduced species. It is also the youngest of the islands. La Cumbre Volcano erupted in January 2020.

Understand

La Cumbre volcano

Fernandina is the youngest island in the archipelago, with the 4,900 ft (1,500 m) La Cumbre volcano being active. The island is the third largest in the archipelago with a total area of 248 sq mi (640 km²). The island is also well-known for being the largest pristine island; no rats, goats, or other non-native species have (yet) been introduced.

See the Galapagos wildlife page for more information on the flora and fauna of the islands.

Get around

There are no services or amenities on the island, nor are there any roads or other methods of getting around besides walking.

See

• Punta Espinosa - Punta Espinosa is considered one of the three must see sights in the Galapagos due to the massive number of marine iguanas found on the volcanic shores. These creatures pile up by the hundreds, and are often seen while snorkeling as they graze on undersea algaes. Galapagos penguins and flightless cormorants are also frequently found in the rocks, and two trails (0.25 km and 0.75 km) lead through the lava formations. The landing on Punta Espinoza is a dry landing onto a concrete platform.

Do

• Snorkeling may be possible at Punta Espinoza, although due to the influence of the Cromwell current the water can be cold. When snorkeling look for marine iguanas and penguins. More common around Fernandina are whale and dolphin sightings from the boat. This area has been declared a whale sanctuary and Bryde’s whales, pilot whales, and bottle nose dolphins are commonly seen.

Go next

The closest islands to Fernandina is:

• Isabela