Charles Darwins Greates Find

There is nothing quite like exploring the trail of Darwin through the Galapagos Islands, with the odd creatures that populate this isolated world filling every niche around you.

And when it comes to arranging the best Galapagos adventure with a focus on nature, there is no substitute for the depth of knowledge and experience offered when you visit.

The Galapagos are an archipelago of several volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean, about 650 miles west of Ecuador.

Enjoy up close views of specially adapted animals, plants and terrain that inspired Charles Darwin on his first theories of evolution.

One of the most profound and enchanting wildlife spectacles in the world, a haven of nature and discovery unlike any other.

Superbly remote yet surprisingly easy to get to, the Galapagos is a world within itself, with the odd creatures that populate this isolated world filling every niche around you.

Giant Galapagos tortoises grunt in distant highlands. Prehistoric marine iguanas spit their salty spray.

Flightless cormorants and tiny penguins dart through the surrounding waters. Storm petrels that walk across its surface and graceful red billed tropic birds screech across the sky.

A new day in the Galapagos begins its wildlife symphony.

With a Galapagos naturalist by your side, you set out each day in the early morning and afternoon, to remarkable ecosystems where the wildlife is most abundant and active.

Inching your way past lounging iguanas and sea lions, scouting for breaching whales offshore and pink flamingos at hidden lagoons, you marvel at the strangeness of the Galapagos creatures on these desolate volcanic isles much as Charles Darwin did nearly two centuries ago.

In 1959, Ecuador designated 97% of the land area of Galapagos as a National Park, and then in 1986 the Galapagos Marine Resources Reserve was established, protecting the waters around the archipelago.

The Galapagos Marine Reserve was created in 1998, by the Special Law for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of the Galapagos Province.

Strict controls on tourist access are maintained in an effort to protect the natural habitats and all visitors must be accompanied by a national park certified naturalist tour guide.

The islands currently receive an average of 60000 visitors per year.

Sadly most visitors simply take a boat tour and then depart, allowing very little money to flow to local inhabitants.

By extending a stay in Puerto Ayora or elsewhere it helps add money to the local economy and demonstrates to locals the value of the park and the need to keep the islands as it should be, a natural beauty.