Prepare for an adventure-filled exploration through the Galapagos Islands on this beautiful island. During World War II, the island’s airport was a US Military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. Surrounding the airport now you will see land iguanas indigenous to the island.

The cliff shore of the island is home for sea lions, pelicans, blue footed boobies and tropic bird. In addition, large schools of fish can be observed from the zodiac rides.

With its sandy beach and black rock, blue-water grottos this stop offers a taste of Galapagos geology, some great snorkeling, and an opportunity to see shore birds and Galapagos fur seals. Excursion options include a long walk along the shore to the grottos to see fur seals, followed by optional swimming and snorkeling or a shorter coastal walk, and optional swimming and snorkeling.

The landscapes of this small island are visually stunning. It’s the top of an old volcanic cone bathed in crimson. The rocks and sand are hued brilliant red and sit amid coves of clear aqua blue water. A short hike up a steep hill provides for several spectacular overlooks, while you search the high cactus for finches and other birds. A Zodiac ride along the coast is also an option, as guests look for sea lions, fur seals, and birds. A brackish lagoon just behind the landing site sometimes provides an extraordinary opportunity?to get up close and personal with flamingos—a photographer’s dream, when it happens. A swim off the beach or snorkel along the shore afterwards is just the way to end the day.

A prized stop along Isabela’s coastline. It is a sheltered inlet and one of the westernmost points in the Galapagos. A scenic zodiac ride offers excellent wildlife viewing and access to a rich mangrove ecosystem. Blue-footed boobies, pelicans, and nesting flightless cormorants perch on small rocky islands in the Bay. Penguins often pop up when you least expect it and nearby blue-footed boobies dive into the sea like missiles. The Zodiacs carefully cruise into the shallower reaches of the ecosystem to look for rays, sea turtles, and schools of fish. Great blue herons and Galapagos hawks can also be seen within the branches of the mangroves.

Tagus Cove on Isabela has historically provided shelter for wayfarers and was one of the places Charles Darwin visited in 1835. A strenuous hike up the side of a volcanic tuff cone brings us to a wondrous view of Darwin’s Lake, where debate still rages as to the origin of the water (ask your Naturalist). Along the way, finches flit among the trees and the island’s craggy geologic features come into view. A stunning overlook to the other side of the island ends the trail. In addition, experienced snorkelers are availed a deep-water snorkel here and if conditions cooperate, it can be spectacular, filled with sea turtles, fish, penguins, cormorants and the possibility of seeing marine iguanas feeding underwater on algae.

Here you have the opportunity for a morning hike over a blackened landscape that is nothing less than a geologic wonderland. At every step, the hardened twists and turns of lava that flowed during a volcanic eruption in the 1900s are visible. Collapse craters, hornitos, and lava cactus dot the trail and where black pahoehoe lava flows between high piles of red volcanic debris (scoria cones). It resembles a strange Martian landscape. A short Zodiac ride along the coast provides additional viewing of the island’s interesting geology along with the opportunity to look for blue-footed boobies, sea turtles, and more.

We’ve taken a page out of Darwin’s Red Notebook and learned that to be relevant—to keep up with the times—we have to evolve to fit perfectly into the ever-changing world around us. More specifically, the environment around us. With 10 years in the Galapagos, we’ve learned and evolved our vacations to meet the needs of the modern explorer. We’ve adapted to bring you updated luxuries that elevate your experience in this precious archipelago to the next level. The way we see it, the Galapagos Islands may be primitive, but your vacation there doesn’t have to be.

This white-sand beach on Isla Santa Cruz is a major egg-laying site for Pacific green turtles, but pelicans and flamingos feel equally at home here, too.

Off the northern tip of Baltra is this flat, low-lying island where blue-footed boobies nest, sea lions play and the largest colony of frigate birds in the Galapagos congregates.

Eroded volcanic peaks in the north and rich vegetation in the south characterize the island. This island is also home to the only freshwater lake in the Galapagos

Pitt Point is located on the northeastern tip of San Cristobal Island. After disembarking onto the small greensand beach, you’ll hike up to a plateau, where the view and landscape are so spectacular it is well worth the effort. A steep gully leads up the cliff to a breeding ground for all three varieties of boobies: red-footed, blue-footed, and Nazca. It’s one of the few places in the Galapagos where you can see all three species nesting together.

A fifteen-minute stroll from one end to the other along Charles Darwin Avenue promises plenty of sights and sounds in this, the largest city of the Galapagos Islands. A charming seaside town, Puerto Ayora features Ecuadorian and international cuisine, local artisans and shopping as well as snorkeling and scuba diving.

Prepare for an adventure-filled exploration through the Galapagos Islands on this beautiful island. During World War II, the island’s airport was a US Military base protecting the Panama Canal from enemy attack. Surrounding the airport now you will see land iguanas indigenous to the island.