The trip to Galápagos Islands is like no other vacation on earth because there’s no place on earth where an ecosystem of the past exists so completely in the present. The land and the water around the archipelago, or island group, are both UNESCO World Heritage sites. The diversity of plant and animal species here can’t be found anywhere else. The evolution of species to their environment here is unprecedented. GetAway Travel’s Galápagos 2026 adventure will be a vacation like no other — and you are invited to join us! Our trip starts in Quito, which is a fabulous destination on its own. Here’s just a taste of what awaits our group when we cruise to the islands.

A microcosm of evolution

 About 600 west Ecuador is a set of volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are the Galápagos. There are 127 islands, islets and rocks that were uplifted by volcanic eruptions. Only four of the largest 19 islands are inhabited. Although visitors can island hop with some creative scheduling and a lot of sometimes expensive transportation options, the easiest way to see the islands which have been called “a living museum and showcase of evolution,” is on a cruise. As a matter of fact, a Galápagos cruise has been consistently ranked among the best small ship cruise locations. With your ship moving at night, there is no wasted travel time and you have plenty of time to experience the islands.

Formed by seismic and volcanic activity, these islands existed virtually untouched and unvisited until 1835 when Charles Darwin landed on the islands. His observations of how the animals and plants adapted to their sometimes daunting environments led to his theory of evolution.

A wide variety of birds, reptiles and even plant life, exist only on the Galápagos and many show evolutionary changes that helped them adapt to specific islands, specific food options and even different parts of specific islands.

About 95% of the land mass of the Galápagos is designated as protected. But don’t let that put you off from visiting. It means certified guides will be with your group to answer all your questions and make sure you see all the amazing sights, and it also means you won’t have to deal with huge groups of people at popular viewing sites. The guides help rotate itineraries for cruise groups to make your experience worthwhile and protect the habitat.

While many islands have specific scenery, vegetation and wildlife, there are many species that can be found on more than one island including: sea lions, marine iguanas, lava lizards and coastal birds like herons, plovers, tattlers, turnstones and whimbrels.

Because the islands were formed by volcanic activity as well as movement under the earth, they offer an amazing landscape of volcanic peaks, starkly beautiful lava flow fields and lava tunnels.

Let’s meet a few of the inhabitants

 Hands down the most iconic resident of the Galápagos Islands is the Galápagos tortoise. The name is derived from the Spanish word galápago which means saddle referring to the tortoise’s shell shape.

They actually can look different from island to islands, look closely at the shape of the shell and the length of the neck to see the difference. The adaptations help them adjust to different vegetation. Males can be up to six feet long and weigh nearly 600 pounds.

Two of the islands have centers devoted to the tortoise and you can visit a breeding center, hold a tortoise egg and learn about all things tortoise! Initially there were more than 250,000 tortoises on the islands. Now there are 15,000 left in the wild. Careful maintenance and breeding programs are maintaining and increasing the populations.

There are 13 different species and some are only able to eat food that other tortoises can’t including leaves, grass, cacti, flowers, vines and fruit.

(We’ll learn more about inhabitant viewing options in an upcoming blog when individual islands are reviewed. Stay tuned!)

The coolest lizards in the world inhabit the Galápagos. The marine lizard is the only lizard that swims and forages in the ocean. The males are about four feet long, with females averaging a little over two feet. There are about 11 subspecies variations around the islands.

The marine lizards eat algae and can dive up to 30 feet below the surface to graze. They can hold their breath for up to an hour, but usually only spend 30 to 40 minutes under the cold water before they come up to sun and warm themselves on the beaches and rocks.

To compensate for the amount of salt they ingest, special glands allow them to “sneeze” the salt out. Unless they are just up from a foraging swim, they have salt crusted all over their noses and face. During mating season, males change color to a vibrant red or green to attract the ladies.

You can find blue-footed, red-footed and the Nazca boobies. Agile in flight but clumsy on the ground, the boobies name is derived from the Spanish word bobo which means clownish or clumsy. The blue-footed booby has an elaborate mating dance and the ladies think bluer is better and are attracted to males with very blue feet. The blue comes from pigments they get in fresh fish. Only the red-footed make their nests in trees and the Nazca is the largest of the three.

The Galápagos penguin is the only penguin species found north of the equator. They have adapted to the warmer climate. Colonies of sea lions, yawn, belly flop and show off some pretty athletic moves in the water. Baby sea lions can nurse under water. They have special valves in their noses that close off their nostrils allow them to nurse and not take on water.

This is just a small selection of the animal species you’ll enjoy, there are numerous varieties of sharks, plovers, 13 types of finches, fur seals, sea turtles, brown pelicans, flamingoes, gulls, Sally lightfoot crabs, frigate birds, common noodles, lava lizards, cormorants, joint-footed petrels… and more!

Interested in joining the GetAway Travel group on a once-in-a-lifetime cruise to the Galápagos? We’re ready to welcome you aboard and beyond. We can be reached at:  (262) 538-2140, e-mail: sue@getaway.travel or paul@getaway.travel