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Contact Us
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Parsons Green Lane
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tel 44 (0) 20 7610 6020
fax 44 (0) 20 7384 9549
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Nothing will prepare you for what the Galapagos Islands have to offer. Located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador and lying isolated in the centre of the Pacific Ocean, the 'enchanted islands' are a nature lovers' paradise.
The 19 islands, 13 major and 6 smaller, each originating from undersea volcanoes that erupted over 600 million years ago, now form part of Ecuador's National Park system. Discovered in 1535 by a Spanish bishop and brought to the world's attention in 1835 when the English naturalist Charles Darwin visited and discovered this living laboratory, which inspired his writings on the Theory of Evolution.
Many of the animals on the Galapagos have developed into species different from their continental relatives, and due to the rarity of predators have remained in an isolated world. This lack of fear shown by the wildlife will enable you to get within touching distance of almost any mammal or bird species in the archipelago. In fact, at times, it is difficult to avoid treading on them as they lie on the designated paths, grooming and cleaning themselves.
WHEN TO GO
The Galapagos Islands can be broken up into 3 seasons.
January to April - hottest and wettest
May to August - dry
September to December - dry with occasional sea mist and choppy seas, though still a good time
The Galapagos Islands
BALTRA. Arrival and departure point from mainland Ecuador. The pier is a five-minute drive from the terminal.
BARRINGTON. (Santa Fe). Walks through Opuntia cacti and Palo Santo forests. Here you can see land Iguanas (endemic to Barrington), Lava Lizards and sea lion colonies, along with excellent swimming and snorkelling.
BARTOLOME. The climb up the wooded staircase to the summit affords one of the best views the Galapagos has to offer, below are two stunning bays, bordered by soft sand and azure waters. Its formations of lava flows and spatter cones are fascinating, and sea lions and penguins can be seen around pinnacle rock. Swimming and snorkelling here gives you the opportunity to see turtles, penguins and seals.
FERNANDINA (Narborough). This is the youngest island of the Galapagos group. You have the opportunity to walk amongst hundreds of marine iguanas on black lava rocks, see flightless cormorants, penguins, pelicans, sea lions and mangrove swamps.
HOOD (Espanola) Gardner Bay: home to a coral white sand beach with sea lions and mockingbirds, the latter is endemic to Hood Island. Swimming and snorkelling around the nearby islets with interesting coral formations and colourful fish.
Punta Suarez: on the other side of Hood Island you can walk on lava rocks dotted with nests of blue-footed boobies and Nazca boobies (formerly masked), a colony of marine iguanas (endemic), waved albatrosses and a blowhole. The spectacular albatross courtship rituals are seen from April to November. There are also sea lions, Galapagos Doves and Darwin's Finches.
FLOREANA. Home to an olivine-crystal beach and a secluded lagoon teeming with pink flamingos. A short walk away is a white sand beach where sea turtles nest (December to May) and nearby are Devil's Crown and Champion islets, with beautiful coral formations and great snorkelling.
ISABELA. This is the largest island in the archipelago. A walk to the top brings you to Darwin's salt-water crater lake for a superb view. A dinghy ride along the shoreline lets you see penguins, flightless cormorants, boobies, pelicans and Sally Light foot crabs.
Urbina Bay is located on the central-west coast of Isabela Island at the foot of volcanoes Alcedo and Darwin. Landing on a black volcanic beach, highlights include; large colourful land iguanas, giant tortoise in the wild, blue footed boobies, penguins and flightless cormorants.
Punta Moreno is on Isabela's southwest coast. There are spectacular views of volcanoes Alcedo, Negra and Cerro Azul, along with impressive lava flows. This is a desolate, pristine landscape, where you will see pioneer plants along with an extraordinarily varied and unusual arid-zone of vegetation. The main attraction is a compound of small brackish lagoons with lagoon birds and seasonal flamingos. Here is an ideal place for you to observe the rare gallinules, along with frigates, pelicans and other sea birds doing salt cleansing dives into the lagoons.
JAMES (Santiago) Sullivan Bay: fantastic lava formations and a good spot for snorkelling, where pioneer marine species should be expected.
James Bay: a dry landing on a black volcanic beach where a shoreline walk will reveal an assortment of marine-related species. Particularly good for migratory species of birds, swimming and snorkelling. You should spot Darwin's finches and the Galapagos hawk, one of the few predators in the archipelago, and an easy stroll along the black lava rock formations brings you to the home of a fur sea lion colony.
NORTH SEYMOUR. Here you'll see Palo Santo trees, colonies of blue-footed boobies, swallow-tailed gulls and magnificent frigate birds. On the other side of the island waves crash onto the rocks and sea lions play in the surf. An uplifted island where some marine coral skeletons are seen along the shore.
SOUTH PLAZA. A small island with a steep cliffed shoreline and fascinating natural life: sea lions, land iguanas, swallow-tailed gulls, Opuntia cactus and vegetation that changes colour with the seasons.
SAN CRISTOBAL. This is the first island that Charles Darwin visited. We arrange a walk up into the highlands and a visit to the interpretation centre.
SANTA CRUZ. The Finch bay hotel is situated here, giving you a variety of options from mountain biking to sea kayaking to scuba diving. Here is also the Charles Darwin Research Station, where you will observe giant tortoises including Lonesome George, the only surviving member of the Isla Pinta subspecies.
TOWER (Genovesa). Darwin's Bay, formed by a collapsed volcano, dominates the island. It is also known as Birders Island as it is home to thousands of frigate birds, red-footed boobies, noddy terns, Lava gulls, tropic birds, doves, storm petrels and Darwin's finches.
Prince Phillips Steps. Walk on lava rocks, a Palo Santo forest full of nesting birds, and some of the most thrilling snorkelling along the cliffs, where Hammerhead sharks are often seen, along with playful sea lions that twist and turn around you. There is also a good possibility of seeing the unique Short-eared owl.
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