Land-Based Galapagos Islands Itinerary (Part 1), Puerto Ayora, Ecuador

The Galapagos Islands are almost as famous as their name is fun to say. Some 1400 hundred miles off the coast of its mother-country, Ecuador, this one-of-a-kind archipelago juts up from the depths of the Pacific Ocean. The islands’ isolated location far from land helps explain why native peoples from either the Pacific Islands or Americas never permanently settled here. But what the islands lacks in human history, they more than makes up for with their ecology.

The Galapagos Islands are one of the eco-tourism capitals of the world. That’s because this single archipelago holds more endemic species of plant and animal life than anywhere else on the planet. In fact, it was this unprecedented diversity that inspired Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution when he visited the Galapagos as a young man aboard the Beagle back in 1835.

Today, a quarter of a million visitors flock to the islands each year to retrace his footsteps and witness the beauty and wonder of the natural world themselves. Most reach and explore the islands from the luxury and comfort of a cruise. And while that form of travel definitely has its advantages, it’s also quite possible to see the islands on a land-based trip. I recently explored the islands and learned just how much they have to offer from dry land. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).