The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, 900 km west of South America. The islands are famous for their large number of endemic species, which were studied by Charles Darwin in the 1830s and inspired his theory of evolution by means of natural selection. Galápagos is a Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of about 33,000. The three most populated islands in the chain San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, and Isabela. All islands are protected as part of Ecuador’s Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve.
One of the best-known animal is the Galápagos turtle. Some turtle species are extinct, like the Lonesome George, but the remaining live on six of the islands and have an average lifespan of over 130 years – up to 200 years! Other notable animals are the sea lions, sea turtles, marine iguanas, land iguanas and lava lizards.
Most notable birds are the blue-footed boobies, Frigate birds, pelicans, Darwin’s finches, and Galápagos penguins. 27 species of birds are found only in the Galápagos.
I visited the islands in November 2025. From the airport at Baltra Island there is a short boat trip over to Santa Cruz where the road crosses the over the cloud covered mountain to Puerto Ayora where we stayed in a hotel. From there we had daily excursions to other islands to discover the unique nature and wildlife – above and under the water – South Plaza Island, North Seymour Island and Isabela.
4. November 2025
Arrival in Galapagos: Sink-hole, Turtle Ranch and Darwin Center
From the airport on Baltra Island we were ferried the short distance over to Santa Cruz Island where a bus waited for us. To reach our destination, the island’s largest town of Puerto Ayora, we had to cross over the 600 meters high rainforest covered plateau in the center of the island. From dry and warm climate on the north coast we passed through clouds and wet fog to reach the dry climate on the south coast. We stopped in the rain forest to see two large sink-holes and walk in the unique Scalesia forest. On our way down through the villages on the south slope we stopped at a turtle (tortoise) farm to learn about the Galapagos turtles. After arrival at our hotel in Puerto Ayora, we had a ‘wildlife walk’ through the town center to visit the Charles Darwin Research Station.
5. November 2025
Sealions and Iguanas on South Plaza Island
On our second day in Galapagos we had an excursion to the South Plaza Island, with a stop at Punta Carrion for snorkeling. I borrowed some low quality under-water video clips from a GoPro camera, which I have included. We saw several fishes, sea turtles, sting-ray and white tipped reef sharks.
After snorkeling we continued to South Plaza Island were we met by sealions. The nature on the island was dry and dominated by cactus trees and low red bushes. There were lots of sealions, iguanas and lizards, and on the cliffs by the water there were red crabs.
6. November 2025
Wildlife on North Seymour Island
On our third day in Galapagos we had an excursion to the North Seymour Island. The nature was different from the South Plaza Island with grass, shrubs and scattered small trees – and very dry. We were “attacked” by curious Frigate birds when we arrived, trying to steal our hats. I have included a borrowed vertical iPhone video clip of this (resulting in poor quality). Inland we watched “Blue footed Boobies” with nests and chicks, and we saw two frigate bird males with their red puffed-up throats trying to attract possible mates. There were also a few iguanas. The north shore has barren sand planes and black volcanic stones, and sea lions played in the surf. We stopped for snorkeling on a small island on our way back.
7. November 2025
Isabela Island
On our fourth day in Galapagos we had an extra boat trip over to the Isabela Island. After an exhausting 2-hours boat trip in a small craft and big waves we arrived in Puerto Villamil. This island’s largest town was a laidback and quiet place. We were trucked to a Flamingo pond – a small salty-lake – but there were only a couple of birds there. Next we visited a Giant Tortoise Breeding Center and had a walk in the bush. After lunch we walked the beautiful white sandy beach before heading out by boat in the lagoon between small islets. We stopped on a deserted islet to see a ‘shark channel’. Before heading back to shore we snorkeled. Except for the exhausting to hours each way by a ‘speedboat’ it was well worth the trip.
8. November 2025
Morning walk and departure from Galapagos
On our last day in Galapagos I had a morning walk to the Puerto Ayora fish harbor to see if there was a fish marked. I was surprised because the tide was several meters lower this morning, leaving the small fishing boats stranded. I took some photos and video-clips before retuning to our hotel to pack for our flight back to Guayaquil on the Ecuador mainland. At noon we left the hotel and were bussed across the Santa Cruz Island and ferried over to the airport on Baltra Island.