The Enchanted Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands. Photos by Sebastian Vizcarra

The Galápagos Islands is a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. It’s considered one of the world’s foremost destinations for wildlife-viewing. A province of Ecuador, it lies about 1,000km off its coast. Its isolated terrain shelters a diversity of plant and animal species, many found nowhere else. Charles Darwin visited in 1835, and his observation of Galápagos’ species later inspired his theory of evolution.

The First Recorded visit to the Galapagos Islands.

The first recorded visit to the islands happened by chance in 1535, when Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the Bishop of Panamá, was surprised with this undiscovered land during a voyage to Peru to arbitrate in a dispute between Francisco Pizarro and Diego de Almagro. De Berlanga eventually returned to the Spanish Empire and described the conditions of the islands and the animals that inhabited them. The group of islands was shown and named in Abraham Ortelius’s atlas published in 1570. The first crude map of the islands was made in 1684 by the buccaneer Ambrose Cowley, who named the individual islands after some of his fellow pirates or after British royalty and noblemen. These names were used in the authoritative navigation charts of the islands prepared during the Beagle survey under captain Robert Fitzroy, and in Darwin’s popular book The Voyage of the Beagle. The new Republic of Ecuador took the islands from Spanish ownership in 1832, and subsequently gave them official Spanish names.[2] The older names remained in use in English language publications, including Herman Melville’s The Encantadas of 1854. Red More…

Today Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands. Photos by Sebastian Vizcarra

Today in the Galápagos Islands may inspire you to think differently about the world. The creatures in here, many found nowhere else in the world, act as if humans are nothing more than another species.

Join Us!! Explore the Galapagos Wildlife Island with our Wildlife & Photo Expedition

Before you Go

The Galápagos Islands is not the Tahiti and these aren’t typical tropical paradises; in fact, most of the Galápagos Islands are devoid of vegetation and some might remind you the moon than Hawaii. However, more humans live here than is commonly assumed, and there’s a surprising level of development in the islands’ towns, mostly geared toward the thriving tourism industry.

This isolated group of volcanic islands and its fragile ecosystem has taken on almost mythological status as a showcase of biodiversity. Yet you don’t have to be an evolutionary biologist or an ornithologist to appreciate one of the few places left on the planet where the human footprint is kept to a minimum.

Explore the Different Galapagos Islands:

  • BALTRA

  • BARTOLOMÉ

  • FERNANDINA

  • FLOREANA

  • GENOVESA

  • HOOD

  • ISABELA

  • JAMES

  • RABIDA

  • SAN CRISTOBAL

  • SANTA CRUZ

  • SANTA FE

All different Ways to visit Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Islands Wildlife can be found during the trips below:

GALAPAGOS CRUISES

Galapagos Islands. Photos by Sebastian Vizcarra

Without question a cruise is still the most recommended way to visit the Galapagos Islands. Simply because you are able to visit the islands that are located further away, which gives you a better opportunity to see a wider variety of wildlife and landscapes. As you will be traveling by night it gives you plenty of time throughout the day to have at least two different visits. Besides, it is very exciting to wake up every day with a different view.

We offer a wide selection of Galapagos Cruises.

GALAPAGOS HOTEL PACKAGES

During the Galapagos Islands Hotel Packages, you will be comfortably accommodated in a hotel on Santa Cruz or San Cristobal Island for the entire duration of your trip. Being a land based tour it is especially convenient for those getting seasick easily. Besides the overnights, you will also have breakfast and dinner in your hotel every day.

The visits are accompanied by a bilingual naturalist guide and are made on the same Islands or by speed boat to the Islands nearby.

We offer a wide selection of Galapagos Hotel Packages.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS HOPPING

Besides the cruises and the hotel packages, there is another great way to explore the Galapagos Islands: the Island Hopping tours. The key features are the same as in the hotel packages; you are comfortably accommodated in a hotel every night, you will have your meals every day there and you will make your visits throughout the day accompanied by a naturalist bilingual guide. The main difference and a definitely surplus of these tours is that you can combine your stay in multiple hotels each based on a different Island.

For that reason, you lose less valuable time traveling back and forward to the main island and are able to see sometimes different sites than in the hotel packages.

The Island Hopping tour is still more restricted than the cruises, but an excellent choice for those getting seasick easily and looking for a more affordable way to spend at least 6, 7 or 8 days on the Islands.

We offer a wide selection of Island Hopping Tours.

THE GALAPAGOS MULTISPORT ADVENTURE

The Galápagos Islands Multisport Adventure is perfect for those who want to experience the incredible wildlife and scenery of the Galápagos Islands but prefer to sleep on shore. Go ashore at the lesser-visited island of Isabela and spend your days with playful sea lions, giant manta rays, and the Galápagos giant tortoise. This adventure offers a great balance of guided excursions and free time, with optional activities abound.

We offer a wide selection of Galápagos Multisport Adventure Tours.

Ask for Our Galapagos Islands Tours

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