Many cruises do not visit this island because of the great distance (8 hours there and 8 hours back), but for bird watchers who take the time to do so, this horseshoe-shaped island is a must. It is the best place in the whole archipelago to spot a colony of red-footed boobies: what the albatross is to Espa? Ola Island is the red-footed to Genovesa.

There are 2 main visitor sites:

Prince Phillip’s Steps (El Barranco)
This site has a dry landing on rocky lava. It is known for its great wealth of petrels and you can sometimes see the Galapagos fur seal.

Darwin Bay
This is a coral beach (wet landing) from which paths lead past the breeding grounds of red-legged boobies, mask boobies and small frigate birds. From January to July, the males of the latter often display their red throat sac.

If you drop anchor at Genovesa you should definitely also go snorkeling along the steep walls of the island: the views between the lava rocks of the crater underwater are spectacular.