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.

Located in the center of the Galapagos archipelago, Santa Cruz Island, or Isla Santa Cruz as known by the locals, is the second largest island in the chain, after Isabela. The capital of the island is Puerto Ayora, which is the most populated urban center in the Galapagos Islands as well as the largest port town. The island itself is the most populated in the Galapagos, with 12,000 residents scattered throughout small villages. The island is a large, dormant volcano which it is estimated hasn’t been active in over a million years. As a testament to the volcano’s previous activity, there is a giant lava tunnel over 6,500 feet long that tourists can walk through.The highlands of Puerto Ayora offer are filled with a variety of trees and plants such as scalesia trees, cat’s claws, and Galapagos miconia. The highlands are also home to land tortoises that roam free in search of food and shallow ponds. There are also two large holes on the island named Los Gemelos or “The Twins,” which were caused as the result of the collapse of a magma chamber. Tortuga Bay can be found on the island, a pristine spot to observe marine iguanas, birds, Galapagos crabs, and a natural mangrove in which white-tipped reef sharks and the Galapagos tortoise can be found. Speaking of the giant tortoise, the Charles Darwin Research Station is located here, where they have implemented a breeding program for these endangered giants. This research station is the operational hub for the international non-profit Charles Darwin Foundation, and crucial research as well as environmental education are performed here. Santa Cruz is the main tourism hub for all of the Galapagos Islands and contains the longest paved road in the Galapagos, which runs across the island north-south. Indulge in the pristine white sand beaches of Las Bachas on the northern coast. Explore Black Turtle Cove by zodiac, and wonder at the impressive iguana population on Dragon Hill. It is on Isla Santa Cruz that tourists can really experience the interior and higher elevations of a Galapagos Island, as the elevation rises to a breathtaking height of 2,835 feet.

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.

In 1954, the Alcedo Volcano erupted on the island of Isabella, the largest island of the Galapagos, lifting part of the ocean floor about 32 feet to reach the surface. This intriguing land is now known as Urvina Bay, and as you walk on these exotic shores, keep in mind you are walking on the remnants of once-sunken coral reefs, so be sure to notice the rock formations – coral heads of yesteryear. You’ll also see colorful marine iguanas, turtles, seashells, and birds like the flightless cormorants.

Tagus Cove (Isabella)

Fernandina is the youngest island in the Galapagos and,as Darwin wrote, it is “covered with immense delugesof black naked lava.” Along with its extraordinary blacklava rocks, this point of land hosts the largest colony ofmarine iguanas in the Archipelago, along with sea lionsand a nesting site for flightless cormorants.

About one million years ago, six volcanoes (five of which are still active) coalesced to form seahorse-shaped Isabela, the largest of the Galapagos Islands. At 1,790 square miles, it’s larger than all of the other islands combined, and, because it’s located on the western edge of the archipelago near the Galápagos hotspot, it’s one the world’s most volcanically active places. While many of the Galapagos islands are home to wildlife only, Isabela had a robust population of 1,749 in the 2006 census. From Tagus Cove on the northwestern side (which sheltered whalers, pirates, and buccaneers in days of old) to the laid-back resort town of Puerto Villamil at its southern tip, the island offers visitors a dazzling variety of terrains, wildlife and experiences. The Cromwell Current hits the base of Isabela’s west coast, causing nutrient-rich water to up well creating the perfect feeding environment for ground for fish, whales, dolphins, and birds. Because 16 species of whales have been identified in the area (including humpbacks, sperms, sei, minkes and orcas), it’s regarded as the best place to see whales in the Galapagos. As is often the case in the region, animal species abound. Visitors can hope to see penguins, cormorants, marine iguanas, boobies, pelicans, Sally Lightfoot crabs, Galápagos land iguanas, Darwin’s finches, Galápagos hawks, and Galápagos doves. There are many and varied ways to encounter wildlife on Isabela: at Moreno Point, near Elizabeth Bay on the west coast, visitors traverse a lava path to find pools at which a wide variety of birds feed. Vicente Roca Point offers some of the most dramatic landscapes in the Galapagos and the opportunity to see the remains of Ecuador Volcano

With its black sand beach, coastal tide pools, andblue-water grottoes, this stop offers a wonderful tasteof the Galapagos and the opportunity to see shore birds,Galapagos Hawks, sea lions, marine iguanas, andGalapagos fur seals. Sea lions, colorful tropical fish,and sea turtles are often seen while snorkeling.

Santiago Island, which is made up of two overlapping volcanoes, was historically a stopping place for Spanish sailors to refill their water barrels and stock up on perishables. The island is currently uninhabited, though there were colonization attempts throughout the 1800s and early 1900s. At one time there was a salt mine on Puerto Egas. The mine was closed in the 1960s, but you can still tour the site today. Santiago was the second island Charles Darwin visited in the Galapagos. When he arrived, the land iguanas were so abundant that he and the crew of the HMS Beagle had trouble finding a spot to pitch their tents for the night. Yet today, there are no land iguanas remaining on Santiago Island. Conservation of native wildlife has presented something of a challenge here: Feral pigs, donkeys, and goats, which were brought by early island settlers and passing mariners wreaked havoc on the endemic plant and animal life over the years and taxed precious resources. At one point, the goat population was estimated to have blossomed to around 100,000. To date, all three species have been eradicated. While you’re on Santiago Island, you’ll have the chance to stop at Puerto Egas, which is home to a colony of playful fur seals. You can visit them at the sea caves and grottoes (essentially collapsed lava tubes) where they enjoy swimming and lounging on the rocks. You’ll also pay a visit to Espumilla Beach, renowned as a sea turtle nesting site. At Sullivan Bay, you’ll see firsthand the effects of volcanic eruptions and have the unique experience of walking across a recent lava flow.

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.

Named after the birthplace of legendary explorer Christopher Columbus, Genovesa Island is a Galapagos Island crown jewel. This horseshoe-shaped island is also known for its diverse population of birds and distinct shape. Those characteristics are where Genovesa draws its two nicknames from: Bird Island and Tower Island. And you’ll likely notice both as you step off your zodiac. You’ll walk up the same rocky path Prince Phillips did when he visited the Galapagos Islands in 1965 and 1981. As you scale the cliffs, you’ll make your first encounter with the colonies of colorful seabird. You’ll disperse into the thin Palo Santo forest where your path inland is a birdwatcher’s dream. Flocks upon flocks of birds nesting in their natural habitats. Swallow-tailed Gulls. Red-footed Boobies. Nazca Boobies. Blue-footed Boobies. Storm Petrels. Galapagos Mockingbirds. Galapagos Doves. Great Frigate Birds. Lava Gulls. Fiddler Crabs. And that’s not all.

If you love eclectic cuisine, Darwin, which sits at the top of the Northern Territories and is therefore at the crossroads of so many cultures, will not disappoint. Sample everything from crocodile and barramundi to mud crabs and buffalo. Once you’ve had your fill of culinary adventures, saunter into the street and watch musicians and performers show off traditional Aboriginal culture.

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.

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.