Places in Galapagos Islands

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The Galapagos Island chain, located roughly 600 miles west from the region of South America, is probably the best spot to witness evolution throughout its purely natural splendor.

Named, in Spanish, after the species that’s without any doubt the most popular of the island chain: The Galapagos Tortoise; the Galapagos boasts numerous groups of small dainty islands which all are born of undersea volcanoes eruptions.

Situated on the equator, the Galapagos gets all the bonuses of such a global position in that all the 16 islands have sunny weather all year long! If that wasn’t good enough they are in the crossroads for 2 vitally important trade winds: The North East trade winds (from North & Central America) and the South East trade winds (coming from South America). All these winds are likely exactly what initiated the influx of sustainable life on the island chain – and are considered to have been a major contributor to the vast forests spreading over the higher mountains of the islands.

These island of overwhelming natural charm have triggered the evolution of various diverse, and really extraordinary, habitats that have in turn allowed (or otherwise caused) the local wildlife, both flora and fauna as well, to grow in ways that quite simply has numerous scientists astonished.

The rest of the Galapagos island chain is yet another place of unique, inter-dependent, as well as stunning wildlife.

When is the best time to go to the Galapagos?

Good Climate for visiting throughout every season. Galapagos is actually over the Equator but the weather conditions are not tropical. Temperatures range between 69°-84°F / 21°-30°C.

Hot season is from January to June.

Dry and fresh season is from July to December.

The Galapagos were discovered by chance at 1535 by Father Tomas Berlanga, priest of Panama.

Due to the long distances involved, the only practical approach to explore the Galapagos is by live-aboard boats, which traveling between islands, mostly at night, and make various stops each day. Over 80 boats are licensed to operate in the archipelago and there are countless combinations of stops and paths. Most cruises go ashore two times a day: 10 full days on the ship typically means 20 coast landings, 10-20 snorkels, and many panga rides (pangas are little, open outboard-powered ships) to about 10 distinct islands.

Exploring on your own is much harder. Getting around separately is tricky and all visitors should be accompanied by a qualified naturalist guide at all landing sites. But four islands (Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Floreana and Isabela) have hotels of varying dimensions and criteria and a few vessel operators offer day-trips.

Some cruises leave from Baltra (the pier is a five-minute drive from the air terminal).

GalapagosInformation.com provides a variety of tailor-made live-aboard tours on a lot of different vessels carrying from 4 to 16 passengers.

Wildlife movements vary, and each month has its highlights. By way of example, green turtles start their own egg-laying in January; penguins interact with swimmers on Bartolome largely from May until the end of September; humpback whales begin to arrive at June; July through the end of September is the ideal period for many seabird activity; peak pupping for sea lions is around August, while their pups perform aqua-aerobics with snorkelers in November; and December is the month to get hatching giant tortoise eggs. So, always there’s something about to happen.

The seas are usually calmer and clearer now of year (with 60ft-80ft visibility average) and the water temperature averages 79° F (26°C), so this interval is best for snorkeling.

The cool, drier, windier season (with occasional drizzle or mist) is from June to November. Sea temperatures in the time of year fall to as low as 66F (19C) and visibility often goes down to 30ft-50ft, whilst sea swells may make some landings tricky.

Sierra Negra Volcano: Hiking enthusiasts are certain to adore the chance of this steep ascent to the rim of Sierra Negra Volcano. The hike up takes around two hours with great vistas all around. Upon reaching the top you can feast your eyes on the world’s third-biggest caldera, surrounded by lush vegetation and home to several kinds of finch. Horse riding provides another perspective of the gorgeous area.

Moreno Point and Elizabeth Bay: bursting a little farther north, Moreno Point presents terrific dinghy excursions, complete with terrific bird-spotting opportunities. Alternatively, you can enjoy scenic hiking through the lava stones and search for whale-tip sharks in the waters. Climb into a small dinghy to explore the little islets off the coast of Elizabeth Bay, watching unique mangrove woods, celebrating penguins along with blue-footed boobies on the craggy rocks, and getting close to sea lions and various fish species with some snorkeling experiences.

Bolivar Channel: Lots of Isabela island cruises sail through the Bolivar Channel, a channel that divides Isabela Island as well as the neighboring Fernandina Island. The coldest waters in the Galapagos region, it is normal to see whales and dolphins swimming near to your cruise ship.

Tagus Cove: named after a British boat, sits near the Bolivar Channel. Flex your muscles using a increase, taking from the jagged coastal stone, volcanic landscapes, dry vegetation, and views of the glistening Darwin Lake. There are plenty of lovely sandy beaches too, ideal for relaxing and soaking up some sun post increase.

Vicente Roca Point: In the north of Isabela Island, Vicente Roca Point is a high spot for boating and snorkeling. The twin coves shelter a variety of odd species, including sunfish, seahorses, and puffer fish. Bird lovers will not be disappointed either, with terns, blue-footed boobies, and penguins, amongst others.

Galapagos wildlife encounters are plentiful on tours of Isabela Island, and you’re guaranteed to be thrilled whether you opt for a Galapagos small ship cruise, a little luxury yacht, a dinghy excursion, or something else entirely.

Giant Tortoises

The giant tortoises of Galapagos are one of the most famous of the temples of the Islands. While giant tortoises once thrived on most of the continents of the world, the Galapagos tortoises now represent among the remaining two groups of giant tortoises in the entire world -the other group living on Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. The Galapagos Islands were named for their giant tortoises; the Spanish term galapago meant saddle, a term ancient explorers used for its tortoises due to the shape of their shells.

The closest surviving relative of the Galapagos enormous tortoise is the small Chaco tortoise from South America, though it is not a direct ancestor. Scientists believe the first tortoises arrived to Galapagos two–3 million years ago by drifting 600 miles from the South American coast on vegetation rafts or in their own. They were already large animals before coming in Galapagos. Colonizing the eastern-most islands of Española and San Cristobal first, then they dispersed throughout the archipelago, finally establishing at least 15 separate populations on ten of the biggest Galapagos Islands.

Although there’s a good amount of variation in size and form one of Galapagos tortoises, two main morphological forms exist -the domed carapace (similar to their ancestral type) and also the saddle-backed carapace. Domed tortoises are normally considerably larger in size and don’t have the upward thrust to the front of the carapace; they reside on the larger, islands with humid highlands where forage is generally abundant and easily available. Saddle-backed shells evolved on the arctic islands in response to the lack of accessible food. The front of the carapace angles upward, allowing the tortoise to expand its head higher to reach the higher vegetation, for example cactus pads.

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