Galapagos Islands: Why you have to visit it NOW
December 8, 2016
Location: Ecuador
The islands are quite remote and isolated, lying some 1000 km west of the South American continent. The Galapagos archipelago consists of 13 main islands and 6 smaller isles.
My Experience and why Now
“ I am 14 years old and I am watching the TV with passion and love. It is a cartoon?!?! a football match?!?! or maybe some new toy available in every italian’s shop?!?! NOP! My eyes are looking at one of the most beautiful documentary/adventure story about Galapagos Islands (Galapagos with David Clark)”.
That was 17 years ago, now I am 31 years old and I just visited Galapagos Islands, 7 incredible and full days. I realised one of my dream, this is a Trip Of Lifetime!
A list of some of the creatures that call the islands home and many of them found NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.
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- Blue Footed Booby Puerto Ayora
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- Galapagos Penguin Las Tintoreras
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- Sea Lion in Puerto Villamil
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- Sally Lightfoot Crab El Garrapatero
A list of some of the creatures that call the islands home and many of them found NOWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD.The question is just one: Why are the Galapagos Islands so unique and we have to visit it right NOW?!?!
I think that to understand why it’s possible to find unique and unmatched wildlife we need to say something about Galapagos Islands history.
The Galapagos Islands are almost 1000 km from the nearest land and this huge expanse of inhospitable ocean in-between makes it very difficult for new kinds of plants and animals to reach the islands. Marine organisms, such as green sea turtles and corals, probably came on their own, swimming, or as floating larvae. Sea birds are all strong flyers that frequently make long journeys across the open sea. But most of the Galapagos life forms reached the islands by accident, and all had a long sea voyage. During that trip, both plants and animals were exposed to saltwater, drying winds, and intense sunlight. They had no fresh water or food. Galapagos reptiles are also more likely than land birds or mammals to be able to survive under these conditions.
As a result, animals of the Galapagos Islands are species whose ancestors were already well suited for its harsh environments. Compared to elsewhere in the tropics there are few birds or Galapagos mammals, and many important groups are missing.
Giant Tortoise Rancho Primicias. galapagos Islands wildlife
Lava Lizard Tortuga Bay. galapagos Islands wildlife
The threat of global climate change combined with pressure from human activities could severely impact ecosystem function and the natural recuperation of living communities in both terrestrial and marine systems. There is no time anymore
Galapagos Islands inspired me to think different about the world. You guys don’t have to be evolutionary biologist to appreciate one of the few places left on the planet where the human footprint is kept to a minimum.
A World Heritage Site because of their unique biodiversity and inspiration for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, the Galápagos Islands already had 97 percent of their landmass protected as a national park. Anyway, few months ago, a new sanctuary now protects the unique marine life around the Galápagos Islands, including the highest abundance of sharks known in the world.
My big tip for you fellow travellers: See it before it’s gone
Galapagos Ray in puerto villamil. galapagos Islands wildlife
Marine Iguana Playa De L’Amor. galapagos Islands wildlife
How to get there, best time and cost
There are two seasons in the islands: the hot/rainy season. From December to June and from June to November, you can expect cool winds, occasionally bringing with them a light misty-type drizzle called “garúa.”
The only way to get in the islands from the mainland is by plane from Guayaquil or Quito airport. Most of the people think that Galapagos Islands is just for “rich” people, well it’s NOT TRUE. We paid 250€ each for a return flight from Quito and in my next post I will talk about “How is travelling to Galapagos Islands on a budget”.
Here how to discover South America in 2 minutes! Me and my wife in our best 120 shots of 6 months of travel… Enjoy
uTips
- My best tip: Don’t get stuck with the thing that ruins your day, life is too short to be wasted in your crap. Smile and be positive because there are so many beautiful reasons to be happy, one of those is travelling.
galapagos Islands wildlife
Author of this post: Davide
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I have watched lots of documentaries about the Galapogos Islands. I am glad to see that your trip lived up to expectations. I would love to go there to see the tortoises and lizards like the ones in your pictures.
Thank you Davide for this wonderful post. Amazingly presented, this just makes me feel like running to visit this island now 🙂 Surely adding this is in my bucket list.
I’m glad the placed lived up to the hype. I have yet to go there but I worry about the cost. I’ll have to check out your posting on how to do this on a budget.
It does look like a trip of a lifetime. Could this be done in lesser than 7 days? Would we be missing on something important in that case?
The Galapagos has been somewhere that I’ve wanted to visit for a long, long time and your post and particularly the photos have really cemented this. As you detailed, the wildlife here is spectacular and not able to be seen anywhere else although honestly, the part you mentioned about the abundance of sharks really has me thinking twice!
Thank you Gareth, kind words!! 😀
What an amazing experience. When I saw the picture of that giant tortoise all I could say was WOW! Great to see you could enjoy this wonderful paradise.
Thank you so much, keep following us around the world
What can I say – a beautiful post with amazing pictures!
Galapagos – somehow this was not really a destination for us so far, I think maybe too exotic, too nature reserve like. To be honest I didnt even know that it is open for tourism at all. But I am pretty sure, a visit will be something you never forget for the rest of your life. Lets just hope, that mass toruism will always been kept away from there 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experiences, cheers from Birdie & Hendrik
Thanks for your comment Hendrik, like I said in a post it was my dream and even if I didn’t write I have a degree in Marine’s Biology, I have a passion for science, nature, animals… 😀 thanks for your kind words
Thank you so much for sharing! Really interesting about the history / background of the Galapagos and why it’s so unique 🙂
There are always ways to travel more inexpensively to places than the general public thinks-good research is key!
Galapagos is unique in every way you can see it! 😀 thanks for your comment
Interesting thoughts!!
thank you buddy!!