Galapagos Islands

Introduction

Blue Footed Boobie 2

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The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands around the equator, located about 1,000 kilometers west of Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean and were made famous by Charles Darwin. It is a heaven for people who wish to be witness of some of the most unusual animals in the world, all to be viewed from up close. It doesn't come cheap and a tour of 5 days including the return flight from mainland Ecuador will set you back at least a 1,000 dollars, but probably more when you want to explore more islands and spend some decent amount of time at this magnificent place.

The environment is fragile on the other hand and recently, the government of Ecuador has announced that less visitors are allowed on the islands at one time and a maximum number is allowed in one year. Also prices for the entry to the National Park are tripled which only adds extra costs. Still, if visited in the right way, it makes for an unforgettable trip!

Hopefully this stops some of the more rampant destructions and corruption that has plagued the Galapagos in the past. As recently as the 1990s the local mafia were trying smuggle animals out of the Galapagos Islands for a profit. Also many Ecuadorians view the islands as their frontier. Therefore many people move to the islands in order to find their fortunes in many different industries some very destructive to the fragile environment of the Galapagos Islands. Over fishing in recent years has been blamed for the reduction in the number of large whale sightings while on cruises.

Geography

Galapagos View

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The islands are located on the equator, in the Pacific Ocean and apart from Ecuador the closest islands are 500 kilometers north (Cocos Islands) or almost 2,000 kilometers south (Easter Island). As the Galapagos islands are on the equator, they are located in both the northern and southern hemisphere and with the equator line located exactly on the island of Isla Isabela. From north to south the islands are spread out about 220 kilometres. A nice affect of being located on the equator and at sea level is that a traveller can see every constellation year round while visiting the Galapagos Islands.

The Galapagos Islands include 7880 square kilometers of land and 45,000 square kilometers of water. The largest of the islands is Isabela Island with about 4588 square kilometers, thus making up half of the total land area. The highest point is located on Isabela as well and Volcan Wolf has an altitude of 1,707 meters above sea level.

The Galapagos Archipelago consists of 16 main islands, 6 smaller islands, and 10 rocks and islets. The islands are located in a volcanic sensitive area and the oldest island is thought to have been formed between 5 and 10 million years ago. The most recent eruption was just back in 2007 and, as a consequence, younger islands like Isabela and Fernandina are still being formed and thus changed as we speak.

Islands

Blowhole, Espanola, Galapagos Islands

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The main islands of the Galapagos are

• Santa Cruz
• San Cristobal
• Baltra
• Bartolomé
• Darwin
• Espanola
• Fernandina
• Isabela
• Floreana
• Marchena
• Pinzon
• Rabida
• Santiago
• Santa Fé

Towns

With a total population of only 40,000, you would hardly be surprised to hear that real cities are absent on the Galapagos Islands. The capital is Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal island which has about 6,000 inhabitants, making it the second largest settlement after Puerto Ayora on the island of Santa Cruz which has better facilities for travellers. Many people only visit Puerto Ayora and Santa Cruz island because of the costs of going on a boat trip. Even if you just stay in Puerto Ayora you can have a great time exploring animals at the Charles Darwin Research Station. This is where you can learn about the history of the islands and the future conservation. In the hills around Puerto Ayora there are great day hikes where wild giant tortoises can be spotted.

Sights and Activities

Lonesome George, Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands

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When visiting the islands you will likely take a boat trip between a couple or several of the islands. Every islands has its own specific environment and for specific species you have to visit as many islands as possible. All of the islands in the park officially open at sunrise and a great activity is to visit right when they open. Your group will be the only travellers on the islands and the animals will just be waking up. Also the soft light will help when taking great pictures. For more information on the wildlife on the Galapagos Islands please read the article: Wildlife In The Galapagos.

• Charles Darwin Research Center is run by the Charles Darwin Foundation on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands. This is an excellent place to visit to learn more about the wildlife of the Galapagos including the famous Lonesome George, who is the last of his species. Most multi day tours include a half day at the center.

• Galapagos Scuba Diving is considered to be some of the best diving in the world. It is one of the few places in the world that you can dive with Sea Lions, Giant Turtles, Hammerhead Sharks, Penguins and Sea Horses all in one dive!

Events and Festivals

Weather

Although it is located right on the Equator, the influence of the currents (like the cold Humboldt current) in the Pacific Ocean moderates the weather extremely. The warmer El Nino current influences the weather mainly from December to April, when the usual drizzle makes place for heavy showers. During this season both the air and water are warmer, around 25 °C on average, while during the colder June to October period this would be closer to 22 °C including the drizzle and occasional fog.

March in general is the hottest month, with temperatures over 30 °C during the day. Sometimes the difference between day and night temperatures may only vary one or two degrees. February and March are also the wettest months.

Although the hottest months are also the wettest, strangely these are also the months with the most sunshine as the colder June to September months have an overcast during most of the day. This latter period, on the other hand, is best when you want to see many of the aquatic life as the animals prefer the colder Humboldt current instead of the warmer El Nino current.

Getting There

By Plane

Regular flights connect the islands with both Quito and Guayaquil but flights need to be booked well in advance because of its popularity. There are two airports servicing passengers arriving on the Galapagos Islands: one on Baltra and the other on San Cristobal.

By Train

There are no trains services to the Galapagos Islands.

By Car

There are no bridges or roads to the islands.

By Bus

By Boat

There are cargo ships departing from from Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands. The journey takes 3 to 4 days and booking passage aboard these boats is not common. These boats are only permitted to provide passage to residents of the Galapagos Islands - they are not allowed to take tourists on board.

Many people choose to arrive Galapagos aboard their own private boat. Either in transit or to tour the islands. Boats transiting the island are permitted to stay in one of the four ports (Baltra, Puerto Ayora, Puerto Baquerizo, Villamil or Floreana for a maximum of 21 days). They are not permitted to travel to other parts of the islands under this permit.

Boats which wish to visit more than one island or to cruise the islands on board their own vessel may do so under special permission. These permits need to be obtained in advanced through a local licensed Galapagos Yacht Agency. The owner of the boat needs to be on board while in the Galapagos Islands and the boat can not be operating for commercial purposes. The special permits are expensive and many smaller boats prefer to arrive "in transit" then tour the islands aboard one of the regular cruises.

Getting Around

Yacht Floreana, Galapagos Islands

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Most of the movement among the islands is by boat. Then the vast majority of the movement on the islands is by foot. The trails are very nice and are meant for people in there mid to late 1950s. There is no back country hiking allowed in the Galapagos Islands and guides keep a very close eye on the tourists.

By Plane

Although it is possible to fly among a few islands, no one does it other then government officials.

By Car and Bus

There is extremely limited bus and car service on the main islands. This is so limited that if you do use buses or cars it will be prearranged as part of your tour.

By Boat

There are many boat tours between the islands, but both prices and comfort vary a lot so shop around. You can go on a small sailing yacht and on big luxurious cruise ships, it all depends on what you like. This is a trip that is worth planning in advance due to cost. But a traveller can arrange a trip on short notice but it best to do that on the mainland. Remember if travelling alone to ask if your cabin will have a forced roommate and to require that the forced roommate be of the same gender as you. Note that during the rougher December to April period, seasickness is more prevalent when you are on the smaller ships.

Eat

In the past the Galapagos Islands were famous for sea food and in the 19th century it was famous for eating the giant tortoises. Today your not suppose to eat either. The giant tortoises almost went extinct because of ships stopping by the Galapagos Islands to pick them out and load them up in the bottoms of their ships. This gave the crew of the ships fresh meat for months.

More recently tourists demanding fresh sea food has lead to extensive over fishing near the Galapagos Islands. This has had a massive impact on animal populations because most of the birds, seals, dolphins, sharks and whales depend on the fish for their survival. The government in Quito outlawed fishing in the Galapagos Islands but Quito is very far away making the laws useless. Travellers are asked not to eat fresh seafood while in the Galapagos Islands in order to protect the animals.

Drink

Party time Galapagos! There are a few bars near the port in Puerto Ayora, some of which can be a little fun. Remember to bring booze with you on the boats because the private bars on the tours can get very expensive. Once you leave Puerto Ayora there is no place to buy anything, other then the boat store. In the same breathe most boat trips have early morning hikes which are no fun with a hang over.

Sleep

Sleeping Sealion, Galapagos Islands

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There are a few hotels in Puerto Ayora. Although the vast majority of people sleep on their boats. Camping is not an option on any of the islands.