Genovesa Island

Genovesa is a drowned caldera in the far north of the archipelago whose flooded crater, Darwin Bay, boats enter through a breach in the wall, and because it sits well away from the inhabited islands it can only be reached by cruise. It is called Bird Island for good reason: red-footed boobies nest in the low trees at eye level in numbers found almost nowhere else, along with Nazca boobies, great frigatebirds, storm petrels in tens of thousands, swallow-tailed gulls and the short-eared owl that hunts them by day, an unusual behaviour driven by the absence of hawks here. Prince Philip's Steps climb the crater wall to the petrel colony on the rim.

What you actually see

• Red-footed boobies at eye level - nesting in low trees along the trail.
• Prince Philip's Steps - the climb up the caldera wall.
• Day-hunting short-eared owls - behaviour driven by the lack of hawks.
• Storm petrel clouds - tens of thousands over the rim.

When to go

Year round; seas in the north are calmer December to May. A cruise stop of half a day or a day. Only liveaboard itineraries reach it.

Honest expectations

You cannot get here except on a multi-day cruise, which is expensive. The northern crossing is long and often rough. Prince Philip's Steps are a steep scramble on uneven lava. Landings are guided and time-limited.

Nearby

Marchena lies west; Santa Cruz is far to the south.