Mexico

Archipiélago de Revillagigedo

WHS Score 3.66
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Votes for Archipiélago de Revillagigedo

3.5

  • Roman Bruehwiler

4.0

  • Hanming

5.0

  • Janos
  • SHIHE HUANG
  • Zoë Sheng

The Archipiélago de Revillagigedo comprises four remote Pacific islands known for their biodiversity and geological features.

The area is a transition zone, provides important stepping-stones for migratory species and has a high level of endemism. The islands are of volcanic origin and uninhabited apart from two small naval bases. The site also includes the surrounding waters with their largely undisturbed marine ecosystems.

Community Perspective: this is virtually a ‘divers-only’ WHS as it needs a liveaboard cruise to reach. Zoë has written about a dive trip to what is known as Socorro, marveled at the giant oceanic mantas and found it overall a truly unique experience.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Archipiélago de Revillagigedo (ID: 1510)
Country
Mexico
Status
Inscribed 2016 Site history
History of Archipiélago de Revillagigedo
2016: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Natural
Criteria
  • vii
  • ix
  • x
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article
  • April 24, 2022 france24.com — Scientists scour 'Mexico's Galapagos' for quake, volcano clues
  • Nov. 25, 2017 bbc.com — Mexico creates huge national park to protect marine life

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Natural landscape: Volcanic
Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
View all (19) .
Connections of Archipiélago de Revillagigedo
Geography
Trivia
Ecology
  • Critically endangered fauna species
    The only known breeding site for the Critically Endangered Townsend’s Shearwater (Puffinus auricularis) (AB ev)

    See www.iucnredlist.org

  • Strict Nature Reserve
    Fully. "On Isla Socorro and Isla Clarión, there are facilities that belong to the Mexican Navy, and which can accommodate visitors if agreed in advance. Visitors tend to be scientific researchers or representatives from the Mexican government, and tourist numbers are limited. ... The property does also support a small and low-impact diving tourism trade. " (UNEP-WCMC)

    See world-heritage-datasheets.unep-wcmc.org

  • Whales
    Up to 2,000 Humpback Whales also migrate through (OUV)
  • Coral
    22 species of scleratinian corals (AB ev)
  • Fish
    Crit X: In the marine realm at least 10 reef fish species have been identified as endemic or near-endemic including the spectacular Clarión Angelfish, which can be observed in ‘cleaning stations’ feeding on the ectoparasites of the Giant Manta Rays. These rays, some of them unusually completely black, aggregate in some of the largest numbers known worldwide. The property is a haven for a rich diversity of shark species with up to 20 having been recorded.
  • Endemic Bird Species
    Socorro and Clarión wrens, the Socorro dove (extinct in wild), Clarión mourning dove, Socorro mockingbird, Socorro parakeet , Townsend's shearwater
  • Sharks
    Silky sharks, Galapagos sharks, white tips and silvertips
World Heritage Process
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Pliocene
    "Clarion is the westernmost and oldest island (early Pliocene). Rota Partida is a rocky islet and is the throat of an old volcano. It is younger than Clarion but older than Socorro, the largest island (early Pleistocene), and San Benedicto, the youngest and northernmost island (late Pleistocene)." See

    See sora.unm.edu

WHS Names
News
france24.com 04/24/2022
Scientists scour 'Mexico's Galapag…
bbc.com 11/25/2017
Mexico creates huge national park …
Recent Visitors
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Visitors of Archipiélago de Revillagigedo
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Community Reviews

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First published: 19/12/19.

Zoë Sheng

Archipiélago De Revillagigedo

Archipiélago de Revillagigedo (Inscribed)

Archipiélago de Revillagigedo by Zoë Sheng

Trying to pronounce "Revillagigedo" isn't easy so most people will say Socorro even though it is only one of the four islands in the archipelago, albeit it is the biggest of them all and has the navi base. Even if you look for dive trips they will use the name Socorro.

The only obvious way to get out there is by liveaboard. It takes over 24h just to reach the first spot from the marina in Cabo so most diving tours will be out for at least a week and that's excluding Isla Clarión because it's just so much further out than the others. You need to book a special trip just to get that on your itinerary. Having said all that we did have a private yacht in the area so that would be your second option ;)

First stop is usually San Benedicto. It has 2 dive sites but El Boiler can get a bit rough so boats might all be in the same area. The tour operators sync their schedules and it is first come first in the water, with no other drivers in the water at the same time. If you ever dive and see bubbles and hordes more often than large fish then you will know why this is the best practice for diving with large animals.

The biggest draw of diving in Revillagigedo are the giant oceanic mantas, oceanic meaning they get laaaarge, much larger than the smaller ones you can …

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