Few places on Earth are surrounded by such an atmosphere of magic and mystery as the Galápagos. This remote archipelago, located 621 miles (1,000km) off the coast of South America in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, is home to dramatic volcanic landscapes, beautiful coral reefs and a mind-numbing array of plant and animal species – many of which are only found here. Desperate to know its secrets? Read on…

They might not sound it, but at somewhere between 700,000 and five million years old, the Galápagos are considered to be geologically young. Formed by a combination of seismic and volcanic activity, many of the island’s volcanoes are still active today. There are 13 major islands and six smaller ones, as well as plenty of tiny islets.

In 1835, the islands were visited by British naturalist Charles Darwin as part of a five-year mission to take longitudinal measurements of the globe. But, noticing how certain species (including Darwin’s finches, pictured) varied from island to island, Darwin began to theorise that the animals had adapted to their unique environments. These observations would later form the basis for his theory of natural selection, found in On the Origin of Species (1859), and are one of the reasons why the isles are so famous today.

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The Galápagos are one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. As they’re so geographically remote, some 80% of land birds, 97% of reptiles and land mammals, and 30% of plants here are endemic – meaning they don’t exist anywhere else in the world. But that makes it all the more important they’re protected. Since 1959, around 97% of the Galápagos’ total surface area has been a designated National Park, while the remaining 3% is home to human settlements.

The Galapagos' most famous resident – and namesake (Galapagos is an old Spanish word for tortoise) – these giant creatures live in harmony across 10 of the islands. Having arrived from mainland South America almost three million years ago, there are as many as 12 different species of the giant tortoise (slowly) roaming the archipelago looking for fruits, cactus pads and grasses to guzzle. However, they can survive for a whole year without food or water. You're more likely to spot them on Santa Cruz and Isabela at midday in cool season (June to November) or early morning and late afternoon in hot season (December to May).

At 1,803 square miles (4,670sq km), Isabela is the largest member of the archipelago. In fact, it’s bigger than all the other islands combined. Formed by the eruption of six volcanoes, the landscape here is extremely varied, from red mangrove forests to white sandy beaches to lava fields. The Sierra Negra Volcano, pictured, is still active and last erupted in 2018.

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This scaly little critter is a marine iguana, one of the many species you can spot here. The island’s also home to more Galápagos penguins than anywhere else, plus it’s one of just two members of the archipelago where flightless cormorants nest. The oceans are a hive of activity too. Isabela is home to one of the best deep-water snorkelling spots on the planet, Vicente Roca Point, where sea turtles, seahorses and mola mola (sunfish) can be seen.

The island has a population of around 2,200 people, who mostly live in Puerto Villamil on the southeastern coast. One of the archipelago’s prettiest towns, it has a more laid-back atmosphere than Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, its sand-dusted streets are lined with a handful of bars and restaurants. Just off the coast there’s Las Tintoreras islet, a volcanic outcrop where marine iguanas, sally lightfoot crabs and blue-footed boobies frolic about.

Many visitors choose to base themselves in Santa Cruz, the archipelago’s most populated isle with 18,000 residents. And with a decent smattering of restaurants, hotels and bars, mostly in the principal town of Puerto Ayora, it’s easy to see why. But that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of wildlife – far from it. The island has six distinct vegetation zones, including higher-elevation zones only found here and on San Cristobal, which are home to the highly-endangered miconia plant.

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The Charles Darwin Research Station allows visitors to see conservation in action. Situated a short walk from Puerto Ayora, it opened in 1964 and today it provides educational exhibitions about the Galápagos’ unique climate, geography and wildlife. Meanwhile at the Fausto Llerena Tortoise Center, a conservation programme is helping to breed tortoises in captivity and release them into the wild. It was here that the world’s last remaining Pinta Island tortoise, nicknamed Lonesome George, lived for 40 years before he was sadly found dead in 2012.

Offering fantasy-movie landscapes within easy reach of Puerto Ayora, Las Grietas is a must-visit location in Santa Cruz. These steep gorges – “grieta” means crack in Spanish – are filled with bluer-than-blue water which has earned them a reputation as one of the best swimming spots on the isles. Jumping off the rocks is advised against however. There’s not much in the way of underwater wildlife here, so for snorkelling off the isle, Gordon Rocks, Carrion Point or Garrapatero Beach are the best bet.

One of the Galápagos’ four inhabited islands, San Cristóbal was the first reached by Darwin on his 1835 expedition. Yet it has a darker, little-known history. In the 1880s, the town of El Progreso became home to a penal colony for prisoners from Ecuador, ruled by plantation owner Manuel Cobos, who treated the convicts like slaves. Cobos was killed by the prisoners and they escaped in 1904. Since then, El Progreso has become a sleepy farming town, although it does have a tiny treetop shed, Casa del Ceibo, where novelty-seeking travellers can stay for the night.

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Sitting in the caldera of a collapsed volcano at some 2,297 feet (700m) above sea level, the El Junco lagoon is one of the island’s high points in more ways than one. It’s one of the only bodies of freshwater in the Galápagos and it’s surrounded by wildlife, notably birds: white-cheeked pintails, frigate birds and endangered Chatham mockingbirds can all be spotted here.

There’s plenty more to be seen at sea level too – and below. Located roughly an hour-and-a-half boat ride from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, the striking Kicker Rock, also known as Leon Dormido, is a snorkelling and diving paradise. Lucky (read: brave) divers can see hammerhead sharks here, as well as marine iguanas, sea turtles and an array of tropical fish. Back on dry land, the island’s stunning beaches of Manglesito, Puerto Grande and Mann provide the perfect place to relax.

The southernmost isle of Española is usually visited by cruise from San Cristóbal, as it’s a whopping 12-hour boat journey from Santa Cruz. It’s uninhabited by humans, but there are some other, rather lovely, residents you’ll get to know well here: sea lions. Found at the expansive white sands of Gardner Bay on the eastern side, these gorgeous creatures are joined by Darwin’s finches, Española mockingbirds and wading birds.

Española is also home to almost the entire global population of waved albatrosses: there are around 25,000-30,000 here. The best place to spot them is at Punta Suarez, between April and December each year. The waters around the island are teeming with stunning tropical fish, from yellow-tailed surgeonfish to king angelfish and more.

At first glance, Fernandina looks almost barren in contrast with the other islands. That’s because this westernmost member of the archipelago is also the most volcanically active, with the most recent eruptions taking place in 2005 and 2009. Yet its volcanic landscapes are jaw-dropping in their own right, with vast lava fields pocketed by otherworldly-looking cacti and small mangrove forests.

Despite such volatile conditions, there’s an abundance of wildlife here. Land iguanas populate the edge of the caldera, while flightless cormorants and Galápagos penguins can be found dipping in and out of the surrounding waters. Since the island is uninhabited, it’s usually only visited by cruises touring the western Galápagos.

Known as “Bird Island”, Genovesa is the place to be for bird watching. The most northerly point in the Galápagos, its remoteness meant that few land animals ever made their way over here, but their loss is winged creatures’ gain. Frigatebirds and the striking red-footed boobies can be found nesting on the coastline, while flocks or storm petrels, finches and mockingbirds swirl through the skies. 

The island owes its distinctive horseshoe shape to the eruption of a shield volcano, which caused the collapse of one wall of the caldera, allowing water in. But this has also made for some prime snorkelling spots along the cliffs. Darwin Bay in particular is home to nutrient-rich tidal pools which are filled with hammerhead sharks, sea turtles, manta rays and more.

The most striking thing about Rábida is its bright red coastlines. Owing their vibrant hue to the way in which iron-rich lava deposits have oxidised, the shores of this small, 1.89 square-mile (4.9sq km) isle foster a variety of species including sea lions, flamingos and marine iguanas. However, the arrival of rats on the island in the past 50 years has presented a threat to native wildlife, and there’s currently a rat eradication programme in place to rid the island of these invasive species. 

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A tiny pinprick of an isle located near Santa Cruz in the northeast of the archipelago, North Seymour is a little different from its peers. It was formed by seismic activity, rather than volcanic eruption. Luckily it has no shortage of wildlife, with plenty of blue-footed boobies to be found – you might even get to see a male doing a mating dance for a female, as shown here. The small island is typically visited via boat from Santa Cruz or by cruise ship.

Given it’s a 67-square mile (173sq km) lump of volcanic rock in the middle of the ocean, you might be surprised to learn that Floreana had an early post office. Back in the late 18th century, whalers put a wooden barrel on the island, so they could leave letters there and other boats headed home would drop them off. The island also has a diverse range of ecosystems, from freshwater lagoons to Scalesia forest, as well as the striking green-hued beach at Punta Cormorant.

An explosion of colour with bright red Galápagos carpetweed, towering green prickly pears and a kaleidoscopic array of tropical birds, it’s hard not to be dazzled by South Plaza. The 0.05-square mile (0.13sq km) island off the east coast of Santa Cruz is also the only place on the planet where you can find Galápagos hybrid iguanas, formed due to male marine iguanas and female land iguanas mating.

Most who venture to the outlying Darwin and Wolf islands go for the diving – it’s considered one of the finest spots in the archipelago and even worldwide. Best visited between June and November, the azure waters are populated with a spectacular array of wildlife: tropical fish, hammerhead sharks, white tipped sharks, manta rays, sea turtles and more. Until recently, there was a stunning natural sea arch called Darwin’s Arch, but in May 2021 it collapsed into the ocean. 

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In Santiago’s Sullivan Bay, you’ll find the most stunning volcanic formation in the whole of the Galápagos. Here, a long and fluid lava flow from a 19th-century eruption has created a mesmerising landscape of smooth, corrugated and cracked rock, which many visitors choose to walk across. There’s not much in the way of wildlife at this volcanic site, although its lava-formed coastlines host migrant birds, sea turtles and penguins.

From the vantage point of Bartolomé you can enjoy sweeping vistas across Pinnacle Rock, Santiago and the islets of Daphne Major and Minor. The picturesque island, located in the centre of the archipelago, is a great spot for snorkelling with plenty of Galápagos penguins, sea lions and tropical fish to be spotted. Afterwards, the secluded Pinnacle Rock Beach is the perfect place to relax.

Also known as South Seymour, Baltra’s flat landscapes contrast with the rest of the Galápagos’ steep volcanic terrain. This seismically-formed isle was chosen by the US government as an air base in the 1930s, thanks to its central location and flat ground. The base was used during the Second World War before being given to the Ecuadorian government. Today, it’s one of just two entry points to the archipelago by plane.

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