6214BartoloméA small island off Santiago's east coast,Bartolomé is home to the iconic PinnacleRock. A beautiful sandy beach at its baseis frequented by sea lions, and snorkellingaround the rock's base will enable you tosee a wealth of underwater marine life aswell as giving you the chance to spotGalapagos penguins.4Isabela The largest of all the Galapagos islands is located in the west of the archipelago.The main visitor sites line the westernshores where vast lava fields meet thePacific Ocean. Here, mangrove lagoonsand coves are home to rays, sharks,turtles, penguins and flightlesscormorants. Isabela was formed by fivevolcanoes and her highlands, home togiant tortoises, provide some excellentwalking opportunities. In the south ofthe island there are a couple of lodges inthe sleepy town of Puerto Villamil, whichcan be used as part of an island hoppingtour or for some relaxation and furtherexploration before or after a cruise.2FernandinaFernandina is the westernmost, youngestand most volatile of all the Galapagosislands. The single volcano, La Cumbre,erupts at regular intervals, most recentlyduring April 2009. In terms of wildlife,marine iguanas are at their most prolificat Punta Espinosa while other speciesinclude flightless cormorants, penguins,Sally Lightfoot crabs and sea lions. TheBolivar Channel between Fernandina andIsabela is the best place in the Galapagosto spot dolphins and whales, particularlybetween June and September.1Marine iguanasFlightless cormorantPinnacle RockIslands of the GalapagosMap not to scaleFloreanaOne of Floreana's best-loved attractions,Post Office Bay, was used in the past by whalers and sailors as a means ofstaying in touch with their loved ones.Letters left in the bay's wooden barrelwere collected by other sailors whotook them home and distributed them.Visitors are invited to test out this old-fashioned delivery method to this day.Floreana is a good place to spotflamingos, who nest in the brackishlagoons behind Punta Cormorant, aswell as finches, sea lions and turtlenesting sites.3Post Office Bay

www.audleytravel.com/galapagos ?01993 838 635 ?Islands of the Galapagos775386Santa Cruz The highlands of Santa Cruz islandprovide a cool, lush retreat where gianttortoises can be seen in the wild,together with a variety of bird species.Along the northern shores of the islandis Cerro Dragon, which is home to anumber of land iguanas and Las Bachasbeach, where Pacific green turtles laytheir eggs annually. At Black Turtle Covemangrove edged lagoons are home toturtles, rays and even sharks in theshallow waters. The most populated ofall the Galapagos islands, Santa Cruz'smain town of Puerto Ayora has anumber of hotels and is home to theCharles Darwin Research Station, theworld renowned giant tortoise breeding centre.7GenovesaThe sail into Darwin Bay on Genovesa is impressive, as it sits in a partiallysubmerged volcanic caldera. The mainattraction of the island is the red-footedbooby, as this one of the few places inthe Galapagos it can be seen. Otherbirds here include frigate birds, gulls,tropic birds, storm petrels and short-eared owls. Off the west coast of theisland it is common to watch sea lionsplaying and surfing in the Pacific waves.North Seymour6One of the richest central islands interms of birdlife, with a large populationof frigate birds, blue-footed boobies andgulls. North Seymour also has its ownpopulation of land iguanas and thewestern shores are home to sea lionsand marine iguanas.5Blue-footed boobiesRed-footed boobyGiant tortoiseWaved albatrossEspañolaIn the far southeast of the archipelago,Española is the only island on which thewaved albatross can be seen (betweenApril and November). Punta Suárez ishome to a variety of other birdsincluding frigate birds, blue-footed andNazca boobies, gulls and Galapagoshawks, as well as giant tortoises and aunique species of marine iguana with itsred and green colourings. At GardnerBay, on the opposite side of the island,one of the archipelago's largestpopulation of sea lions bask on thestunning white-sand beach.8