10 Things to Do in the Galapagos Islands
This may seem like a strange question: what to do in the Galapagos? Well, it’s the Galapagos Islands. What isn’t there to do? It’s world famous for its bio diversity in wildlife. It’s the area that helped Charles Darwin began to crystalize his Theory of Evolution. It has pristine beaches for swimming and diving. It offers personal and face-to-face interactions with the endemic wildlife. It’s the Galapagos, after all!
The islands sell themselves for all of the above reasons and more. After taking the call to look into what vessel to cruise on, or what hotel or lodge is best for a land-based experience, our Destination Specialists are then often asked, “What can I do there?” or “What specifically can I see there?”
In order to answer these common questions, we’ve collected the following insider info from our experts who have travelled to the Galapagos and know them better than most. It’s an easy-to-read top 10 about what the Galapagos has to offer.
1. Search for the flightless cormorant, a bird that lost its ability to fly due to the lack of ground predators and the need to swim faster in order to get the catch of the day.
2. Look for penguins. Yes, there are penguins at the equator.
3. Want to take the grandkids and family on that ultimate multi-generational trip? Then let us assist with the charter of a boat just for you and your family and/or friends. It can even be big enough to give you the space we know is necessary on family vacations.
4. Enjoy some land-based time on the islands, be it for half a day, a full day, or an overnight stop at a Giant Land Tortoise Sanctuary as part of your cruise experience. Or, you can be land-based the entire time. Sit at your seaside restaurant with beer or wine in hand, as seals sleep literally feet away and marine iguanas snort and roll in the sun.
5. Swim and/or dive with sharks and seals. Each are equally harmless to humans, but equally curious about them.
6. Visit the Charles Darwin Research Station and learn about how Darwin started to form his theory while visiting the islands. You can also see all the amazing conservation work going on in and around the islands.
7. Sleep in a tented camp in the heart of a Giant Land Tortoise Reserve with hundreds of these Giant Tortoises, some over 100 years old, other not so old. Enjoy a stunning dinner in a lava tub as the start of your overnight stay. This is a great option for a land stay or as a way to break up a traditional cruise. Goway’s Destination Specialists know how to put this together for your clients.
8. Cross the equator—multiple times—on any of the available cruises. Options are available from moderate to decadent luxury.
9. Watch the cute mating dance of the blue-footed booby as they bop and weave. Then compare that to the beak slapping, beak sword fighting of the albatross as they duck and dive with heads and beaks.
10. We mentioned cruises. We also mentioned land-based stays. Why not combine the two and do an island hop where you get the best of both worlds and explore parts of the islands others often don’t see?
These are 10 tips, but the list could go on and on. Suffice to say, the Galapagos Islands has something for everyone, on every budget, for every age, and for every day of the year.
Looking for the ultimate Galapagos Islands and Peru travel experience? Then check out the exclusive, one-time-only departure of our Natural Selection: In the Footsteps of Legends in Machu Picchu & the Galapagos Islands.
Goway invites your clients to join Goway’s General Manager for Central & South America, Don Forster, and special guest guide, Peter Frost, on an epic journey through South America celebrating Goway’s 50th anniversary. The Natural Selection: In the Footsteps of Legends in Machu Picchu & the Galapagos Islands is a 32-day luxury adventure across Ecuador and Peru that features the best 5-star accommodations and unforgettable encounters with history and nature. Not only does it demonstrate Goway’s expertise in providing the best trips for exclusive travellers in South America, but it immerses these travellers in the history and legends of bygone eras and takes them back in time to the days of the Incas and explorers like Charles Darwin and Hiram Bingham.
Call today and let one of our Destination Specialists further expand on all the reasons that the Galapagos Islands is a must-visit destination in Ecuador, South America, and the world.
Check out our specials page for some great Galapagos Islands offers.
