- Swim with sea lions and turtles
- Walk with a giant tortoise
- Visit the Charles Darwin Research Centre
- Sip cocktails at sunset on your boat
- See the blue-footed booby's mating ritual, one of the bird world’s greatest dances
In 1835, Charles Darwin arrived in the Galapagos Islands on board the HMS Beagle. He soon noticed the same thing that amazes travellers today, namely that many of the animals that roam the shores of the Galapagos, swim in its seas and fly among the islands, were unique. What struck him was not just that the birds, plants and reptiles were different from those on the mainland, but also that they were distinct from ones on neighbouring islands. The observations Darwin made during his five weeks in the archipelago played a vital part in his theory of evolution.
The islands were never connected to the mainland, so the wildlife that evolved here has not been hunted by man and have not developed an instinctive fear of humans.
Many of those on a holiday to the Galapagos Islands take an island tour by cruise ship, travelling between the islands at night and heading ashore every day for wildlife encounters with expert naturalist guides either on land or in the water. Alternatively, or in addition to a cruise, Galapagos holidays can be based on land in one of the hotels, simple lodges or tented camps on some of the larger islands such as Santa Cruz or Isabela. You can explore the islands in more detail on a land-based trip either on foot or on horse-back, as well as being able to enjoy a diversity of other activities such as mountain-biking, diving, kayaking and surfing not usually offered on Galapagos cruises.
