Equador Overview
Colonial and Exciting
Galapagos Island is one of the most famous environmental reserves in the world. Discovered in 1535 accidentally by a Spanish priest it is most famous for the visits by English Naturalist Charles Darwin.
It is said that his studies around the island chain were the catalyst to the writing of his famous book, most controversial at the time,
The Origin of the Species.
Before Darwin arrived it was a hideout for pirates preying on the passing Spanish galleons and then afterwards whalers and sealers.
The island is inhabited by an immense amount of wildlife. No mean feat for a barren island chain that is still volcanically active.
It is possible to come face to face with giant tortoises, iguanas, seals and a myriad of bird species including the waved albatross and the diving boobie. The animals are naturally unafraid of humans and it is easy to get up close and see them.