Galapagos Islands

The Galapagos Archipelago is a cluster of some 13 volcanic islands and associated islets. Situated on the equator some 600 miles off the coast of South America, this remote volcanic archipelago remains much as it was millions of years ago. Over the course of centuries, animal and plant life from the Americas reached the islands and gradually evolved into new forms. Many of its species are found nowhere else on earth.

Considered like an outdoors laboratory, this archipelago of the Pacific Ocean has 125 islands (5 lived) and small barren islands of volcanic origin, that have emerged from the bottom of the sea about 3 to 5 million years back. Its total surface is of 8,009 square kilometers , 97% of which comprise the National Park Galapagos. It was in these islands, discovered in 1535 by the Spanish clergyman Fray Tomas de Berlanga, where the famous naturalist Charles Darwin found the foundations that sustained the theories of his revolutionary the origin of the specie

The islands straddle the equator in a chain of 13 large island and many smaller ones. The main islands are: Fernandina, Isabela, Santiago, Santa Cruz, Floreana, Española, San Cristobal, Genovesa, Santa Fe, Marchena, Pinta, Rabida and Pinzon. Most Galapagos cruises visit roughly four to seven islands, depending on the length of the cruise. The islands are the home to a vast array of land and sea bird species, land and marine iguanas found nowhere else, lava lizards and giant tortoises, as well as a diverse and unusual flora. Each species reveals suites of physical and behavioral adaptations to its own particular local environment.

The wildlife paradise of the Galapagos Islands, long regarded as a mysterious and desolate spot, is a showcase of evolution in action. A spawning ground for Charles Darwin's famous theory, the islands have become a National Park dedicated to the conservation of many unique species threatened with extinction.

Climate

The Galapagos climate can be divided into a hot season (Dec-May), when there is a possibil­ity of heavy showers, and the cool garua (mist) season (Jun-Nov), when the days generally are cloudier and there is often rain or drizzle. Jul and Aug can be windy, force 4 or 5. Day­time clothing should be lightweight. (Clothing generally, even on luxury cruises', should be casual and comfortable.) At night, however, particularly at sea and at higher altitudes, tem­peratures fall below 15°C and warm clothing is required. Boots and shoes soon wear out on the lava terrain. The sea is cold Jul-Oct; underwater visibility is best Jan-Mar. Ocean tempera­tures are usually higher to the east and lower at the western end of the archipelago.  In years with the El Niño Current heavy rain comes from the north from December to March. The warmer temperatures and heavy rains break the food chain and interrupt the breeding cycle. Though this is not a yearly occurrence the increase in water temperatures can have a dramatic influence on the wildlife of the islands. Seabirds, Galapagos Penguins, Marine Iguanas and Fur Seals have all suffered from diminished numbers in years with the El Niño.

 Galapagos flights
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