Galapagos Holidays & Tours

Nothing says “unique” quite like a holiday to the Galapagos Islands. It's an archipelago of twenty-one rugged, volcanic islands, only five of which are inhabited, and the surrounding Pacific Ocean make up the Galapagos National Park and Galapagos Marine Reserve.

The islands were made internationally famous following Charles Darwin's visit on HMS Beagle in 1836. His study of native animals formed the basis of his theory of evolution and natural selection, which he published in his book, 'On The Origin Of Species', in 1859. The wildlife's richness comes from the Galapagos' unique location, sitting precisely on the equator and at the confluence of three ocean currents, which draws food and nutrients to where warm and cold waters meet.

A Galapagos Islands holiday is your opportunity to see what Darwin saw; a huge variety of wildlife, isolated on small islands that led to the animals evolving distinctive differences to survive. Giant tortoises, marine iguanas, sea lions, finches and seabirds like the blue-footed, red-footed and Nazca boobies have fascinated visitors for over two centuries and made the islands synonymous with our understanding of how life evolved on our planet thanks to the work of the Charles Darwin Research Station.

The wildlife here is integrated into island life like nowhere else on the planet. Animal encounters occur whether you go island hopping past whales and seabird colonies, kayaking with dolphins, sharing the beach with penguins and sea lions, hiking across multicoloured volcanic landscapes, snorkelling with fish and sea turtles or watching the pelicans at the fish market in Santa Cruz vying for leftovers.

Dining in the Galapagos Islands is understandably seafood based with ceviche, fish soups and lobster stews given an Ecuadorian flavour with fruit imported from the mainland and locally grown vegetables and plantains. All tours here take care to leave as small a footprint as possible to help maintain the delicate ecological balance in this UNESCO World Heritage site.

Their uniqueness is what makes the Galapagos so memorable, but being just a short flight from the mainland, you can visit the islands themselves on a small private tour or as part of an exploration of the fascinating country of Ecuador and beyond into Latin America.