Best Galapagos Islands Cruise

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The Galapagos islands, located close to 600 miles west from the continent of South America, is fairly probably the best destination to observe evolution throughout their natural beauty.

Named, in Spanish language, after the species that is without a doubt the most well-known of the island chain: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos offers a number of groups of little dainty islands which all are created of undersea volcanoes eruptions.

Situated directly on the equator, the Galapagos gains all of the rewards of such a perfect location because all the 16 islands have warm climatic conditions all through the year! If that wasn’t enough they are at the crossroads for two really important trade winds: The North East winds (coming from North and the South East trade winds (from South America). All these winds are in all probability precisely what initiated the influx of self-sufficient life around the island chain – and are believed to have been responsible for the large woods spreading over the higher hills of the islands.

These island of intense natural beauty have led to the evolution of several varied, and very distinctive, habitats that have in turn helped the native wildlife, both plant life and animals alike, to grow in ways that to put it simply has many experts astonished.

The rest of the Galapagos archipelago is also a scenario of exceptional, inter-dependent, as well as really amazing wildlife.

Galapagos Islands Weather

There are two seasons: December to May is hot and moist and June to December is usually cool and dry. Yearly rain fall in the lower regions is 2-4in and the air temperature fluctuates somewhere between 69°-84°F/21°-29°C.

The islands’ weather conditions are determined by marine currents. The sudden weather change a result of El Niño is usually disastrous: as much as 55% of sea lions and marine iguanas can die in the course of this period.

The convergence of 3 major oceanic flow produces a tremendous mix of sea life to this islands. Despite being located in the equator, the Islands’ micro-climate is surprisingly dry. During the cool season, the Humboldt Current provides moderately cold waters, that generates thermal inversions that prevent precipitation.

At this time, a fine mist known as “garua” is formed as cold, wet air just above the water meets a higher tier of air which is heated up by the hot sun.

‘El Niño’ can be described as a rare event that happens around every 5-7 years. The south east trade winds slow its speed and cause the ocean temperatures to increase drastically causing storms and precipitation.

In order to keep the natural beauty of the Galapagos Islands, the Galapagos National Park have decreased the number of visitors by requiring operators to wait for 14 days prior to returning to the same location. This means that most boats offer alternating itineraries to cover as many of the best Galapagos sites as you can. All Galapagos ship cruises have between 4-16 passengers, making sure that a much more tailored service and better experience.

The Galapagos Islands became famous when British scientist Charles Darwin based his ‘Theory of Evolution’ on his findings. Made up of a cluster of approximately 13 volcanic islands, approximately 95 percent of this area is now a part of the Galapagos National Park program and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A Galapagos cruise will offer a really distinctive experience. From the magnificent landscapes which resembles something in the Jurassic era, to the endemic wildlife with as much as 26 species indigenous to these islands and within their natural habitat, there is nowhere else in the world like the Galapagos Islands.

Each of the Galapagos’ official visitor websites has something special to offer, but travelers are going to be able to experience the best hits — sea lions, marine iguanas, lava lizards, endemic birds — on the majority of islands. Listed below are a couple of the most well-known spots.

Santa Cruz features the Galapagos’ most populous “town,” Puerto Ayora, and will be the island chain’s most important tourism hub. The island offers people the sole chance to experience the Galapagos’ interior high-lands, among a couple places to spot giant tortoises in their natural habitat. The Charles Darwin research center, a visit to which will be contained on every cruise, can be located there.

South Plaza encompasses less than one-tenth of a mile in place and is among the Galapagos’ smallest visitor sites. But the very small island, which was shaped by volcanic uplift, makes a strong impression with its color-changing ground vegetation, sea lions and colony of Galapagos land iguanas. The successful male iguanas can be seen standing guard before a cactus tree, waiting patiently to offer a hungry female using a piece of prickly fruit.

Rabida: makes a bold statement when you arrive at its iron-rich red shore. Just inland is a brackish lagoon where visitors often visit flamingos, heads plunged submerged to scoop up crustaceans and algae using their bowl-like beaks.

Fernandina, the Galapagos’ youngest and westernmost island is best known for its not-infrequent volcanic eruptions, the most recent of which was in 2009. It’s located at the locus of this “hot spot” that generated, and is still creating and shaping, the Galapagos. As people step across lava flows and around the massive population of land iguanas, they develop a firsthand comprehension of the ancestral roots of the islands.

Floreana is home of the Galapagos’ famous barrel-mailbox at Post Office Bay. For centuries, those visiting the famous Ecuadorian isles relied upon the unspoken duty of fellow pirates and whalers to acquire letters to an intended destination. A mariner would leave a dispatch, then select through the pile for missives he can personally send (travel program allowing). The tradition continues today; cruise passengers visiting the website can leave and take postcards from a (contemporary) barrel. Floreana is home to the Galapagos’ famous barrel-mailbox at Post Office Bay. For centuries, those seeing the famed Ecuadorian isles relied on the unspoken duty of fellow pirates and whalers to Puerto Villamil and Nearby Regions – Isabela Island Cruises take in an assortment of intriguing points around the massive island. Puerto Villamil is a small port in the south east of this island, and it’s home to the majority of the island’s inhabitants. It’s possible to enjoy the fishing-community vibe, sample tasty freshly caught seafood, participate with all the merry children, shop for souvenirs in the stores that are vibrant, and admire the islets that dot the coast. Stroll along the boardwalk, resulting through mangroves, and see flamingos, gallinules, whimbrels, and more. The Tortoise Breeding Center sits in the end of the boardwalk, helping conserve sea tortoises. The harbor is frequently filled with little luxury yachts and other sailing boats, many of which carry passengers on thrilling Galapagos cruises.

Galapagos Animals

The Galapagos penguin is the only to be found in the northern hemisphere and to breed in the tropics.

A Galapagos tortoise can weigh up to 595lb (270kg) with a carapace of 4ft (1.2m) and outlive most people.

The endemic Galapagos fur sea lions would be the smallest one of the world’s seven species of fur sea lions

The Galapagos Marine Iguana is the only marine lizard to exist in the world.

The Galapagos Islands are home to the world’s biggest cormorant and also the only one unable to fly.

Galapagos has one of the planet’s rarest ecosystems in which the herbivores on top of the food chain are reptiles.

Galapagos Swallow-tailed gulls are the sole gulls on earth to feed at night .

The Galapagos boasts the world’s largest and just red-footed booby colony.

The Galapagos is one of those very few areas of the planet where turtles continue to be a common sight. More than 400 species of fish have now been recognized in the Galapagos, with 41 species unique to the islands.

In 30cm in length and using a massive set of venomous jaws, the endemic centipede (Scolopendra galapagoensis) is one of the Islands’ most feared creatures.

A lichen poll in June 2010 from the Charles Darwin Foundation uncovered more than 60 new species from the Galapagos with an estimated ten species new to science.

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