Explore The Galapagos Islands

The adventure

The Galápagos is the one place on Earth where the animals simply don't care about you. Step off the boat and you are picking your way between sea lions sprawled across the landing, while blue-footed boobies perform their slow, high-stepping courtship dance a metre away and marine iguanas sneeze salt from black lava rocks.

Underwater it gets even better. Snorkel off Isabela or Bartolomé and you can find yourself swimming alongside green turtles, penguins darting past like bullets, playful sea lion pups and, if you are lucky, hammerhead sharks cruising in the blue below. Back on land, giant tortoises graze in the misty highlands of Santa Cruz, the same creatures that helped a young Charles Darwin begin to piece together the theory of evolution.

Why it’s epic

Giant tortoises that can live for well over 100 years, roaming wild in the Santa Cruz highlands.
Marine iguanas, the only lizards in the world that feed in the sea.
Galápagos penguins, the only penguins that live naturally north of the equator.
About 97 percent of the islands' land is national park, and Darwin's 1835 visit shaped On the Origin of Species.

What it is

The Galápagos Islands inspired Darwin's theory of evolution and have wildlife found nowhere else, often completely unafraid of people.

How to do it

Fly from Quito or Guayaquil to Baltra or San Cristóbal. Explore on a liveaboard cruise or island-hop from Santa Cruz and Isabela.

Top tip

Bring cash for the national park entry fee, which is paid on arrival.

Need to know

Visitors pay a national park fee in cash on arrival and buy a transit control card at the airport in Quito or Guayaquil before flying out.
Many sites can only be visited with a licensed naturalist guide, and cruise itineraries are set by the park authority.
The warm season (December to May) has calmer seas; June to November is cooler, with richer marine life thanks to the Humboldt Current.

Plan this trip

Rough cost: £2,000 to £5,000 per person, including flights from the UK
Time needed: 5 to 10 days
Best time to go: All year
Fly into: GPS airport

Liveaboard cruises and the island flights from mainland Ecuador are the big costs; land-based island hopping is cheaper.

Sample itinerary

Day 1Fly to Quito or Guayaquil, Ecuador
Day 2Fly to Baltra or San Cristóbal and board your boat or check into Santa Cruz
Days 3–6Island hopping: giant tortoises, marine iguanas, blue-footed boobies and snorkelling with sea lions
Day 7Charles Darwin Research Station, then fly back to the mainland

Do it yourself

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My experience

Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.