Daphne
Island of scientists and Darwin finches
Highlights
bird watching, excellent diving location
Possible encounters
blue-footed booby, nazca booby, red-billed tropicbird, Darwin finches great blue heron, Galápagos martins. Galápagos sea lion, sharks, rays, sea turtles, seahorses
Explore and experience
Access to Daphne Major is restricted by the Galápagos National Park, and it may only be visited with a special permit. Your visit will consist of the ship cruising around the island for some magnificent bird watching. Daphne Major is a very important island for scientists. Biologists Peter and Rosemary Grant are conducting a 40-year study on the characteristics and continuous evolution of Darwin finches here on the island. Where Darwin thought that evolution would take place over several hundreds of years, this study proves that changes can already take place just over a 2-year period. Almost all finches on the island are banded.
Cruise
On-board the expedition vessel you will take a tour around the island. You can enjoy seeing, among others, blue-footed boobies, nazca boobies, red-billed tropicbirds and of course the finches. Sea lions are resting at the bottom of the steep cliffs.
Diving
The island has two designated places for excellent diving; waters are teeming with marine wildlife from sea horses to sharks and rays. A large quantity of benthic organisms lives on the underwater walls of the island, all of which create a multi-coloured aspect to the undersea world.
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