Galapagos Islands

Why Go

The Galapagos Islands are world-renown for their abundance of unique wildlife both on land and at sea. Giant tortoises, marine iguanas, Galapagos penguins, blue-footed boobies, Galapagos sea lions and Galapagos sharks are just a few of the wonderful endemic species you can see here. Formed by volcanoes, several of which are still active, this archipelago has a beautiful, strange and fascinating landscape, with awesome things like lava tunnels and giant craters to explore, an absolute geologists dream. The Galapagos can be explored by either joining a liveaboard boat trip, naturalist (land-based) or diving, or basing yourself on the inhabited islands. The Galapagos are a divers paradise, with some of the world's top dive sites. If a diver, your biggest decision will be whether to join a liveaboard or do fun-dives. Isolated in the Pacific ocean 1,000km from the Ecuadorian mainland, you can fly into Baltra to stay on Santa Cruz, or into San Cristobal. Either local boat or flight services connect to the other two islands that you can stay on, Isabela and Floreana. Whichever island you go to, incredible landscapes and animals are there for you to explore!

Why Not

If you are not a nature lover or diver, The Galapagos Islands will not interest you. The Galapagos are also known for being expensive, especially relative to the Ecuador mainland. You can go to San Cristobal on a budget though.