You can book day trips to some of the islands from the main tourist hub of Puerto Ayora in Santa Cruz, but taking a cruise on a small yacht is the best way to see the more remote islands and wildlife in the Galapagos.It’s best to book at least a few months in advance because […]

10 Cost-Saving Tips for Backpackers Visiting The Galapagos! Be flexible with your flight dates. Choose accommodation which provides breakfast. Have big lunches and set courses. Haggle for tours and accommodation (low season) Bring lots of cash. Book hostels in advance during High Season. Can you backpack Galapagos? We were lucky enough to spend 1o days […]

Fast Fact: The Galapagos National Park regulates immigration and tourism in the entire Galapagos archipelago – although the population on the four inhabited islands has grown significantly in the past generation, very few Ecuadorians are allowed to move there. Can humans visit Galapagos Islands? The Galapagos archipelago is a big place. However, within its 133,000 […]

Customs officials in Ecuador discovered 185 baby tortoises packed inside a suitcase that was being sent from the Galápagos Islands to the mainland on Sunday.One of the biggest threats to Galápagos tortoises is illegal trading for animal collectors and exotic pet markets. Can you legally own a Galapagos tortoise? It is possible to buy a […]

Galapagos tortoises can’t swim but they can float due to an extra layer of blubber. You can visit and touch our tortoises at 2pm each day during the summer. Can giant Galapagos tortoise swim? Can tortoises swim? Tortoises cannot swim. At most, they can float and drift, and if they’re lucky they’ll bump into land. […]

Spanish explorers, who discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them after the Spanish galápago, meaning “tortoise”. The Galápagos tortoises are native to seven of the Galápagos Islands. What is the Galapagos turtle called? Galápagos tortoiseWhat is a Galápagos tortoise? There are 13 living species of Galápagos tortoises, which are also sometimes called giant […]

More information about the various islands can be found below. Isabela Island, Galapagos Islands. Marine Iguanas, Galapagos Islands. Plaza Sur, Galapagos Islands. Sante Fe, Galapagos Islands. North Seymour, Galapagos Islands. Pinnacle Rock, Bartolome Island, Galapagos Islands. Santiago Island , Galapagos Islands. What are the 7 islands of Galapagos? List of islands, animals, flora, and visitors […]

All species of Galápagos tortoises evolved from common ancestors that arrived from mainland South America by overwater dispersal. Genetic studies have shown that the Chaco tortoise of Argentina and Paraguay is their closest living relative. The minimal founding population was a pregnant female or a breeding pair. Where did Galapagos tortoises originate from? South AmericanScientists […]

Lying in the Pacific dry belt most of the land in the archipelago is covered by arid, semi-desert xerophytic vegetation. Only a small percentage of the islands reach the higher elevations where more rainfall is concentrated, yielding a more lush, tropical vegetation types. What kind of habitat is the Galapagos Islands? There are five types […]

The Special Law is a lengthy piece of legislation passed by the Ecuadorian government in March of 1998.The constitution of the Ecuadorian Republic grants permission for Galápagos to be run by a Special Regime, and for its protection, the rights of free residence, property, and commerce can be restricted. What is special about the Galapagos […]

Pollution can have a devastating effect on the native wildlife of Galapagos, especially plastic pollution. Debris in the ocean is mistaken for food by marine creatures such as turtles and ingested, and rubbish can cause injuries or entrapment for both land and marine wildlife. What is the biggest threat to Galapagos Islands? Human threats This […]

The Galapagos hawk is the apex predator in the Galapagos Islands and there are no predators that can take on the hawks. The hawks are found on all the islands except Floreanna and Genovese islands. The Galapagos Hawk belongs to the family Buteo Galapagoensis. What is the biggest threat to the Galapagos Islands? Invasive species […]

2. What did Charles Darwin study in the Galapagos Islands? The most famous fauna of the Galapagos Islands are the iguanas, giant tortoises and finches. What did Darwin collect on the Galapagos Islands? During his time on the islands, Darwin was not aware of the importance the archipelago had as evidence for his theory, and […]

Increased rainfall: Warming temperatures would likely lead to increased rainfall. Sea level rise: Current estimates suggest that sea levels around the Islands have the potential to rise by around 1 metre by 2100.This is likely to cause a loss of biodiversity for the Galapagos Islands. How does La Nina affect the Galapagos Islands? La Niña […]

Nazca tectonic plate. The Galapagos Islands are located on the Nazca tectonic plate. This is a perpetually moving piece of the earth’s crust that is heading eastward over what is known as the Galapagos Hotspot. It’s found near the equator, not far from the divergent plate boundary with the Cocos Plate. What tectonic plate is […]