Galápagos Islands

Today the Galápagos Islands are protected as a national park and form one of the world’s largest marine reserves. Strict conservation measures regulate the number of visitors and landing sites in order to preserve the fragile ecosystems that make the archipelago so unique. For travellers arriving by sailing vessel, the experience still resembles the approach of earlier explorers: volcanic coastlines emerging from open ocean, seabirds circling above the cliffs, and wildlife largely undisturbed by human presence.

The islands we'll visit

During our Pacific voyages, landings focus on several key islands that illustrate the remarkable diversity of the archipelago.

San Cristóbal

San Cristóbal lies on the eastern side of the Galápagos archipelago and was one of the first islands encountered by European explorers approaching from the coast of South America. The island is home to Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the administrative capital of the Galápagos Province, where a small community lives alongside an abundance of wildlife.

Much of the island remains protected as part of the national park. Sea lions are a constant presence along the shoreline and in the harbour, while frigatebirds and blue-footed boobies patrol the coastal cliffs. Marine iguanas can often be seen warming themselves on the black volcanic rocks after feeding in the surrounding waters.

In the highlands of San Cristóbal lies Laguna El Junco, a freshwater lake that fills the crater of an extinct volcano. It is the only permanent freshwater body in the Galápagos and attracts numerous bird species that gather around its shores. The island was also visited by Darwin during the voyage of the Beagle, making it one of the first places where he encountered the distinctive wildlife of the archipelago.

Floreana

South of the central islands lies Floreana, one of the smallest inhabited islands of the Galápagos. Despite its modest size, it holds an important place in the human history of the archipelago. Early whalers, settlers and adventurers all left traces of their presence here, creating stories that still form part of Galápagos maritime lore.

Floreana’s landscapes range from coastal lava formations to green highlands where fresh water collects in small volcanic depressions. Flamingos are often seen feeding in the island’s lagoons, while seabirds nest along the cliffs that face the open Pacific.

The island is also central to ongoing conservation efforts. Several native species disappeared from Floreana during the nineteenth century after the arrival of introduced animals. Today extensive ecological restoration programmes are working to restore the island’s original balance, including the reintroduction of giant tortoises that once lived here.

Isabela

Isabela is the largest island of the Galápagos and one of the most geologically active. Its unusual shape is the result of six shield volcanoes that gradually merged together as repeated eruptions built up layers of basalt over hundreds of thousands of years. Several of these volcanoes remain active, and lava flows continue to reshape parts of the island’s coastline.

The landscapes of Isabela provide an exceptional view of how the Galápagos Islands were formed. Vast lava fields, black sand beaches and volcanic calderas dominate the terrain, while coastal mangroves and lagoons create sheltered habitats for marine life.

Wildlife on Isabela includes several species that are rarely seen elsewhere in the archipelago. Galápagos penguins inhabit the cooler waters along the western shores, while flightless cormorants nest close to the sea. Marine iguanas gather in large colonies along the rocky coastline, and giant tortoises roam the island’s interior highlands.

Santa Cruz

Situated near the centre of the archipelago, Santa Cruz is one of the most visited islands of the Galápagos and an important centre for conservation research. The town of Puerto Ayora is the largest settlement in the islands and serves as a gateway to many protected areas within the national park.

Just outside the town lies the Charles Darwin Research Station, where international scientists study the ecosystems of the Galápagos and coordinate conservation projects throughout the archipelago. The station has played a key role in protecting the famous giant tortoises that have become a symbol of the islands.

The highlands of Santa Cruz offer a striking contrast to the arid coastal landscapes found elsewhere in the Galápagos. Moist winds from the Pacific condense over the island’s elevated terrain, creating lush vegetation where giant tortoises move slowly through grassy fields and shaded forests. Along the coast, places such as Tortuga Bay provide sheltered habitats for marine iguanas, seabirds and reef sharks.

Wildlife of the Galápagos

The wildlife of the Galápagos is shaped by isolation. Because the islands developed far from continental ecosystems, many species arrived only rarely and adapted over long periods to the specific conditions of each island. As a result, a high proportion of the plants and animals found here occur nowhere else on Earth.

Visitors often encounter sea lions resting on beaches, marine iguanas feeding in the shallow waters, and seabirds nesting along the cliffs. Blue-footed boobies, frigatebirds and swallow-tailed gulls are among the most recognisable bird species of the islands, while giant tortoises continue to roam the highlands where conservation programmes have helped restore their populations.