Galapagos Islands Travel Reviews
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The Galapagos Island chain, located approximately 600 miles west from the continent of South America, is fairly possibly the absolute best place to watch evolution in all of their purely natural splendor.
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Named, in Spanish language, after the animal which is without doubt the most popular of the island chain: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos boasts several groups of small dainty islands all of which are born of undersea volcanoes eruptions.
Located directly on the equator, the Galapagos gains everyone of the rewards of such a overseas placement in that all the 16 islands have bright and sunny weather conditions all year round! If that wasn’t good enough they are in the crossroads for two vitally important trade winds: The North East trade winds (coming from North and the South East winds (coming from South America). These winds are likely what initiated the influx of sustainable life on the island chain – and are thought to have been responsible for the large forests spreading over the higher slopes of the islands.
These island of overwhelming natural beauty have triggered the evolution a number of varied, and extremely exceptional, environments that have in turn granted the regional wildlife, both plants and creatures likewise, to change in manners that basically has many scientists astonished.
The rest of the Galapagos island archipelago is yet another place of unique, inter-dependent, not forgetting fairly gorgeous wildlife.
When is a good time to travel the Galapagos?
Due to the confluence of cold waters flows coming from the west, the Galapagos archipelago has an unusual dry and gentle weather for the tropics and it is in general classified as sub-tropical. This makes Galapagos travel a year-round holiday option. Galapagos weather conditions are considered tropical, cooled off by the Humboldt Current, and is characterized by two principal periods:
The warm, wet season
Late December to June is considered the warm and wet season, with March and April typically being the hottest and wettest weeks. Close to December, the trade winds fall down and the weather equator (located north of the geographic equator) changes south toward the Galapagos, producing the westward-flowing current to slow down, lowering the upwelling and allowing warmer water from the Panama Current to wash the archipelago. Galapagos climate is characterized by rain clouds which form when the inversion breaks down, and the air heats up and rises, contributing to frequent afternoon rains. Even in this time of year; but, the small hills get only restricted rainfall.
The colder, dry season
This period, also known as the “garua season” goes from later part of the June to December, when it is comparatively cool and dry with more cloudier atmosphere and occasional drizzle or mist (garua) through the day. August is the coolest month. In this dry season, Galapagos temperature is nice, the water temperature is lower and you will find generally clouds around the larger elevations. Line of sight is frequently reduced in the water due to plankton, but this mix of conditions generates a much more action in water and also food is abundant. Because Galapagos climate is not too hot during this period, it is also the breeding period for several sea birds and shore birds, marine iguanas, sea lions and fur seals.
To be able to keep the natural beauty of Galapagos Islands, the Galapagos National Park have reduced the number of guests by requiring ships to wait for 14 days prior to returning to the same location. This usually means that many boats offer alternating itineraries to be able to show as many of the best Galapagos websites as possible. Escape the crowds and explore the islands on a Galapagos Cruise in small classes and with experienced naturalist guides. All Galapagos boat cruises have between 4-16 passengers, making sure that a more personalized service and experience.
The Galapagos Islands became famous when British scientist Charles Darwin based his ‘Theory of Evolution’ on his discoveries there. Made up of a cluster of approximately 13 volcanic islands, around 95% of the area is now part of the Galapagos National Park program and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A Galapagos cruise will provide a truly unique experience. In the magnificent landscapes which resembles something in the Jurassic age, to the endemic wildlife with as much as 26 species indigenous to these islands and in their natural habitat, there really is nowhere else in the world like the Galapagos Islands.
Plan ahead if you want to see during the peak tourist times. Visiting out of those periods will still provide lots of experiences and wildlife encounters, but costs might be reduced with fewer other tourists around.
With little variation in air and water temperatures throughout the entire year, and numerous species that aren’t migratory, an Isabela Island cruise is an excellent experience at any moment. Generally, however, the waters are better between January and March, which makes this an ideal time for enthusiastic snorkeling enthusiasts. The driest months are generally between August and December, perfect for beach lovers.
Visit the Galapagos in January to observe green sea turtles arriving and laying eggs on the shores, also in April to find the eggs. Bird spotters will probably prefer to see Isabela Island between August and March, once the number of migratory birds is at its summit. October is the mating interval for fur seals, whilst brown nodes are active in November. December is the best month should you want to see the hatching of giant tortoises.
Before linking any Galapagos cruises, you will first have to create your way to mainland Ecuador. International flights usually arrive at the country’s capital city of Quito, even though it’s also likely to take an international flight to Guayaquil. Flights to the Galapagos Islands leave every day from both Quito and Guayaquil.
Baltra Island has the busiest airport on the Galapagos Islands, but flights also arrive on San Cristobal Island. Your tour operator will normally organize transportation from the airport to your cruise departure point from Baltra or by San Cristobal. Isabela Island cruises generally depart from Puerto Ayora, a significant port on Santa Cruz Island.
Galapagos Facts
A great number of wildlife, traffic can get up close and personal to some of the planet’s rarest animals. The Galapagos was home to the only surviving giant Pinta tortoise, “Lonesome George” which sadly died in June 2012. The convergence of three major oceanic waters flow allow an incredible mixture of marine life to Galapagos. The endemic Galapagos marine iguana is known as the only lizard able to swim in the ocean. Darwin’s study in Galapagos led to the revolutionary concept of The Origin of Species.
In 1978 UNESCO designated Galapagos since the first World Heritage site. The film Captain and Commander was filmed on the islands of Bartholomew and Santiago. The name ‘galapagos’, an old Spanish term for ‘saddle’, was initially employed by Bishop Tomas and his team to describe the giant tortoises but the name stuck. As a result of early presence of both Spanish and English inhabitants in Galapagos, the Islands now have both English and Spanish names.
Darwin sailed to Galapagos on board the HMS Beagle at September 1835, when he was 26 years old. Throughout the five weeks he spent there, he went to collect plants, stones, insects and birds. He detected the unusual life forms and their adaptations to the harsh atmosphere. He noticed it had been possible to distinguish which island a tortoise came from by the shape of their shell. His most well-known study is of the several species of finches which inspired his revolutionary theory The Origin of Species, published in 1859.
GALAPAGOS CRUISES 2024
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