The Galapagos Islands, distinguished in the travel world as a place of natural beauty and flora and fauna of an incomparable variety, are a dream destination for the nature enthusiast. Famous for many rare species of fauna and flora and the fact that it was Charles Darwin's voyage and stay here that inspired the Origin of the Species, these islands pull innumerable visitors every year.

Of the 13 main islands and the numerous small ones that make up the Galapagos Islands, only 5 are inhabited. The wildlife that they support include the famous giant tortoises called galapaga, penguins, iguanas, and a variety of marine life that includes sea lions, boobies and an array of exotic flora.

A 1000 kilometres to the west of the coast of Ecuador in South America, the islands are a stark landscape of barren volcanic soil and dark igneous rock formations. And offering a contrast to this, there are the stunning blue waters of the Pacific and palm lined beaches. On the whole there are about 17,000 people on the Galapagos Islands who make their livelihood from fishing, farming and tourism.

The Galapagos Archipelago was discovered by the Spanish in 1535 when the ship of the Bishop of Panama, making its way to present day Peru, was blown off course. The islands first appeared on the map in 1570.

Tourism on the islands is a highly controlled activity and so be it, if it means that the fragile ecosystem survives and indigenous culture is left intact. Since mass tourism is not the route taken, facilities, permits, getting to and getting around are all fairly expensive. Also, individual tourists find no place in the scheme of things; you must tour the islands in groups and must be escorted by a certified naturalist on the Galapagos National Park.

Getting There & Around: The easiest way to get to the islands is either from Guayaquil or Quito on mainland Ecuador. There are flights from these cities to Isla Baltra or Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristobal. From Baltra you can take a ferry or a bus to Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz, which is a good place to go to if you haven't already booked your tour. Being one of the main cities, Ayora is flushed with good tour operators. Those who want to make the run by sea must be blessed with plenty of time and oodles of patience. Travelling by boat involves waiting around at Guayaquil for a cargo ship, spending 3 ½ days on the water getting there, spending USD 50 a day if you spend your time on board the ship as it makes is way around the islands and back to mainland, or getting off at a chosen port of call and making your way back later by air or by yet another cargo vessel.

Many luxury cruises include the Galapagos in their tour itinerary. While signing up for one of these is a very comfortable way of making your way around these stunning islands, it isn't the ideal way of getting a feel of the islands. Independent travellers who can choose between day tours and overnight tours stand a better chance of really getting to know the Galapagos. Day tours take off usually from Porto Ayora or Puerto Baquerizo Moreno and involve travelling from site to site in the course of the day and returning to base for the night. Constraints of time mean that you'll in all likelihood miss far-flung islands like Isabela and Fernandina. Overnight boat tours do not have the same limitations so you'll not only be able to visit more sites but also spend more time on each. These tours are usually 4-day or 8-day tours. Most tour boats, day and overnight, take groups of between 6 and 16 people.

Plan on spending at least a week on your trip. Since getting from site to site must be done by boat, and the sites aren't really in close proximity of one another, it is a time consuming affair. Ideally, of course, you would be able to make your Galapagos trip a two-week sojourn. There is that much to see and do if you are a nature lover. Plan also on spending upwards of USD 1000 per head on a weeklong trip, including air travel to and from the Galapagos and the mainland. You can cut costs by travelling in the low season, between September and November. This is when the waters are at their roughest, and since a vacation in the Galapagos implies a substantial amount of time spent on them, it is advised that visitors prone to seasickness shell out the extra money rather than risk unrelenting nausea. The difference is not likely to be more than USD 200 - 250.

Visitor Sites
There are 54 designated visitor sites in the Galapagos National Park, and site hopping between these involves taking a boat. Boats are allowed to land at only these sites. It's unlikely that you'll be able to do all the sites in even a weeklong trip and since many of them offer the same experience, pretty pointless too. Must visits include Seymour, which is nesting colony for blue-footed boobies and massive frigate birds, South Plaza where the wildlife consists of sea lions, iguanas and gulls, the Caleta Tortuga Negra in Santa Cruz for turtles and white-tipped sharks. The island of Bartolome is beautifully desolate, tinted shades of ochre, red, green and black by volcanic activity. The volcano is now extinct and it is possible Besides Pinnacle Rock, you are allowed to snorkel in the brilliant waters off the northern coast where you'll have sea lions and Galapagos penguins for company or on the southern side where white and black tipped sharks and eagle and sting rays. Bartolome is also a nesting ground for the famous Green Sea Turtles of the Galapagos. The highlights of Rabida are the vibrant colours of the volcanic formations, brown pelicans, flamingos, land and marine iguanas, sea lions, blue-footed and masked boobies, Bahama pintail ducks and Common Stilts.

There are two visitor sites on the far-flung island of Espanola. Famous for its marine iguanas that uncharacteristically for the species, change colour during the mating season. You'll also find the Hood Mockingbird and the Waved Albatross. The two visitor sites on this island are Gardener Bay - where you can snorkel, and Punta Suarez - where besides the fauna mentioned above, you'll also find Espanola lava lizards, Swallow Tailed Gulls, masked and blue footed boobies, finches and the Galapagos Hawks.

The island of Isabela is Galapagos' largest and the best whale spotting sights in the area. Up to 16 species have been spotted here including humpbacks, sperm and orcas. Isabela has a huge variety of wildlife and swimming, snorkelling and diving sites. West of Isabela is Fernandina, the youngest of the Galapagos Islands. Among the most volcanically active, Fernandina lacks the varied wildlife and the flora of the rest of the Galapagos. It does however, have colonies of flightless cormorants, marine iguanas and Galapagos penguins.

Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz
Puerto Ayora is the hub of tourist activity in the Galapagos. You'll get the most tour options and operators in the islands' most populous town. And if you have enough time in hand, left over after touring the visitor sites, there are bars and discos, sightseeing and shopping to be explored. Tank up on chilled beer, shake leg to some good music and pick up art and jewellery as souvenirs. Sightseers should pay a visit to the Charles Darwin Research Institute or walk down to Turtle Bay (Bahia Tortuga). Also on the island, not far from Porto Ayora are the villages of Bellavista and Santa Rosa. Go down the lava tubes in Bellavista, or explore the slopes of the now extinct Cerro Crocker. More craters and a tortoise reserve make the trip to Santa Rosa worthwhile. Puerto Ayora also has the most accommodation options anywhere on these islands. Budget tourists in particular should plan on making this their base.

Most flights from Guayaquil and Quito land here. If you haven't booked a tour on the mainland, rest assured you'll find plenty of options here. It is wise to ask around and consult with other tourists before making your choice.

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on Isla San Cristobal
Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is the second most important town in the Galapagos. Meant really for luxury tourists and cruisers, it isn't the best place to get a good budget tour going. On the flip side though, there are plenty of luxury resorts and posh restaurants for those who're doing the islands in style.

Sights on the San Cristobal Island include Los Galapagos where giant tortoises live in the wild, Frigatebird Hill (Cerro de las Tijeretas) where the magnificent birds nest and El Junco Lagoon, a freshwater lake. An hour's ride by boat is the visitor site of Isla Lobos, a major colony of blue-footed boobies and sea lions.

Isla Isabela
The main tourist centre on this island is the coastal town of Puerto Villamil. The accommodation in the city spans the range from budget to luxury but the number available is few. Most establishments also operate or at least arrange tours up the volcano of Sierra Negra and around. The village of Santo Tomas, about 20 kilometres inland and situated in the shadow of the Sierra Negra, is a pleasant place to spend a few hours in.

Isla Santa Maria
With a small population of a few hundred people, this island is not really on the tourist circuit and there isn't much reason you'd chose to stay here unless you were looking to get away from it all.

For detailed Country and Visitor Information, see Ecuador.