To Explore the Galapagos Islands is to encouner nature in its purest state. So pristine, in fact, that it led the young English naturalist Charles Darwin, who visited the islands in 1835, to write "The Origin of the Species"... and the world was forever changed.
The Galapagos seem to have the same effect on all visitors. In this section of our website we include information on the Islands, their wildlife, plantlife and marine animals. We also offer details on the nature & human history and geologic formation of the Islands.
As you read through these pages you will learn what to expect on a Galapagos trip.
Sitting right atop the Equator, approximately 600 miles directly west of Ecuador in South America, the Galapagos Islands had no original inhabitants, and were discovered in 1535 by Tomas de Berlanga, the Spanish Bishop of Panama, when his ship drifted by the islands.
Travel to these islands is strictly controlled by Ecuador, and a visit to the home of the giant tortoise, marine iguanas, and Darwin's finches must (should) be done through a professional tour operator. We offer professionaly organized trips on board our yacht the Floreana.
Once in the islands, interaction with a wide variety of unique wildlife is the order of the day, including the famed giant tortoise, land iguanas, sea lions, and the like. In addition, nature trips, scuba diving, snorkelling and volcano trips are popular diversions.
This mysterious and enchanted archipelago is comprised of 13 large islands, six smaller ones and over 40 islets. The Islands cover 7,500 sq. Km. Most are in the southern hemisphere where several marine currents converge. Thus, the elements were ideal to create this zoological, geological and botanical marvell.
Through the process of evolution, climatic factors, ocean currents and the comparative lack of predatory enemies including humans the Galapagos became one of the weirdest and most compelling places on our planet. Plants and animals, arriving by different means across the waters from the mainland, colonized the desertic Galapagos lava fields.
The organisms which accomplished to survive, adapted and evolved to constitute species unique to our planet. All of the Galapagos reptiles, half of the birds, 32% of the plants and 25% of the fish, as well as many of the invertebrates, are endemic(unique) to the archipelago.
The land and oceanic environments in Galapagos create a variety of attractive and unique scenery which have enamored generations of tourists and scientists. Giant Galapagos turtles, marine and land iguanas and lava lizards constitute the most spectacular reptile species found anywhere.
There are more than 13 species of birds of varying finches and also by flightless cormorants, Galapagos penguins, sparrow hawks, flamingos, albatrosses and boobies, among others, Mammals found there include the cute and playful sea-lions, furseals and dolphins.
UNESCO declared the Galapagos Islands a Natural Heritage of Mankind site for the above and many other reasons. We invite you to discover your own.