History of Daphne Island

A trip to the Galapagos Islands is an exercise of discovery. And the circumnavigation around Daphne Major is certainly no exception. This satellite volcano cone is one half of a pair of twin islands. Daphne Major and its sister island Daphne Minor lie just north of the Santa Cruz island. Both islands reside within the restrictions of the Galapagos National Park. Entrance to Daphne Major is fairly restricted, and it can only be visited with a special permit.

Daphne Major is an introduction to new landscapes, exotic wildlife, and groundbreaking history. In the most literal sense, circumnavigating around Daphne Major is a brush with encounters less than one percent of the world will experience. Encounters like witnessing the flight and hunting patterns of the Nazca booby. Experiences like capturing footage of the red-billed tropicbirds’ impressive flight speeds.

Like most of the Galapagos Islands, Daphne Major is a treasure trove of curious creatures. Many of them sprung up naturally generations ago. Others were introduced to the region recently. And in ultra-rare occurrences, new species are birthed here. Your visit to Daphne Major comes with the opportunity to witness a rapid evolutionary breakthrough, as the Galapagos Islands served as the site for much of Charles Darwin’s evolution research.

Far removed from their natural habitats, much of the wildlife in the archipelago developed characteristics which greatly varied from their family in other regions. However, these changes and adaptations progressed over the course of millennia.

Daphne Major, though, affords you the opportunity to encounter a newly-spawned species. More than 30 years ago, a finch lost its way on its flight home and ended up on Daphne Major. As the only member of his species, this lost traveler managed to mate with a local finch breed. This was the genesis of a new breed of finch endemic to the Daphne islands.

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