Darwin Bay
A drowned crater.
Peter Wilton — CC BY 2.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · © Nicolas Völcker — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cayambe — CC BY-SA 3.0
A remote horseshoe-shaped island in the north of the archipelago, because it is a volcanic crater whose wall collapsed, letting the sea in to form Darwin Bay ringed by cliffs. Many call it «Bird Island» for its huge colonies. It is one of the world's best places to see red-footed boobies nesting in the shrubs, along with Nazca boobies, frigatebirds, swallow-tailed gulls and storm petrels. Short-eared owls hunt in broad daylight among the rocks. The island has two sites: a sandy beach inside Darwin Bay with a trail among nests and tide pools, and Prince Philip's Steps, a rocky stairway up the cliff to a flat plateau covered in bird colonies to the sea's edge. It can only be visited by licensed boat with a national park guide, and operators price the trips. Only multi-day cruises reach it, with a long overnight crossing that can be rough, so bring seasickness tablets.
A drowned crater.
A bird plateau.
Hunting by day.
North-east of the archipelago, Darwin Bay
No, it lies far north and only multi-day cruises reach it, with an overnight crossing.