Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, are what inspired the theories contained in the renowned book ‘The Origin of the Species’ published in 1859. In 1835, Charles Darwin spent 5 weeks observing and noting the flora and fauna of these enchanting islands. He observed the adaptations that many animals went through to live in those local conditions. The Galapagos Islands are off the shore of Ecuador and are made out of 12 main islands and many small islets.
The Galapagos Islands enchant every single visitor with the huge diversity of life forms coexisting in the area. Since you won’t find any type of common predator, there are high chances that you observe the same diversity of wildlife that Darwin encountered back in the 1830s. Apart from that, human intervention has been almost zero. For this reason, many animals and birds look pretty calm when visitors arrive and approach them.
The best and most practical way to discover the archipelago is on a seven-day cruise. Specially, this way you get to appreciate the contrasts of each island and what makes each of them special.
As Galapagos has 12 main islands and several small islets, getting around them independently is a difficult task. You will cruise almost in the same way as Charles Darwin did 200 years ago. While you sleep on the cruise, wildlife will take over the archipelago. The islands of the archipelago stay untouched as they have been since the beginning of the world.
Things To Do
Wildlife in the Galapagos Islands
You will surely remember your stay on the islands as a series of exceptional wildlife memories. You will have the opportunity to swim with sea lions, to see tons of sea iguanas running around you, small sharks, sea turtles and humpback whales. From the distance, you can observe the courtship ritual of the blue-footed booby.
Santa Cruz Island
It’s the second-largest island in the Galapagos. In there, you’ll find the most representative animal of the archipelago: the giant tortoise. You can see it going around the highlands of that island. These marine creatures are so old that they may have been in their childhood when Darwin visited them.
On this island, you can also visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, where researchers work to preserve the ecosystem of the islands
North Seymour Island
Witness the dancing mating ritual of the magnificent male blue-footed boobies. It’s also highly possible to see frigate birds nesting around this island, and therefore the mating ritual of these male birds.
Isabela Island
This island offeres you the opportunity to swim with adorable and playful sea lions. However, if you feel intimidated by their size, you can just watch them as they walk around you on the sand beach. Also, you can see humpback whales at the west of the island, and small sharks and turtles in the lagoons.
Genovesa Island
Above all, this island is the perfect spot if you are a lover of birds. Genovesa Island is considered a bird paradise and you’ll encounter birds literally everywhere.
Fernandina Island
If you go to Fernandina Island, be careful where you step. The floor will be crowded with a colony of marine iguanas basking in the sunshine.
Bartolomé Island
On this island, you will have the unique opportunity of swimming with small Galapagos penguins. In addition, you can climb the iconic Pinnacle Rock.
How to get there
As I already mentioned, the best and most comfortable way to get around the islands is on a cruise. This is a short cruise, that can take seven days or more. Metropolitan Touring offers a wide range of trips. However, the most demanded and popular is one that is four to seven days long.
You can fly to the islands from the capital Quito through Tame Airlines via the largest city of Ecuador: Guayaquil. I recommend always making sure that your tour operator’s fee includes the parking fee (around US$100). In other words, this means that you need to have your ticket stamped if the parking fee is included. Otherwise, they won’t allow you to leave the airport unless you pay the fee in cash.
Inside Information
Even though it’s possible to access them by boat, the government of Ecuador has a strict control of any touristic activity. Because they want to avoid any type of environmental damage from tourism, you won’t be allowed to explore the island freely. For this reason, the activities have a rigid plan and timing.
In spite of these strict controls, you can still enjoy each day and make the most of it. Finally, keep in mind that peak seasons are Christmas, Easter, and August.
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