The Galapagos Islands, almost 1,000km off the coast of Ecuador, are an oceanic paradise; a place that time seems to have forgotten. The islands are home to unique and fascinating forms of life that are not found anywhere else on the planet. In the warm waters of the Galapagos, cormorants forgot to fly, iguanas learned to swim, turtles became gigantic, and sharks became mild.
This is a place where sea lions show off their swimming skills and blue-footed boobies perform their elegant two-step mating dance as if oblivious to your presence. The islands' absolute isolation and lack of human contact mean the inquisitive animals have never learned to fear people and will approach their visitors, happily posing for photographs.
Like most visitors enjoying Galapagos Islands vacations, I flew to the Islands from Quito, a 2.5 hour flight out over the Pacific Ocean. The islands' natural richness presents itself immediately, with iguanas ...
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Tags: Galapagos, Guide, Islands, Spotlight, Travel, Vacations