The Galapagos Islands are truly blessed by natural beauty and we should all be grateful for the sterling protective efforts of the Ecuador National Park to keep it that way.
Galapagos Islands are usually accessed from either Ecuador's capital Quito or the coastal city of Guayaquil. The flight took about 1.5 hours from Guayaquil and we landed on the barren island of Baltra where we collected and taken to the boat nearby.
To get a true perspective of these islands, you must see it on-land and below water as both are equally amazing. We chose a 10-day liveaboard on one of the best dive charter boats available, the Lammer Law. The 10 days were mostly aimed at the scuba diving scene, which meant it included the 14 hour sail to the northern islands of Wolf and Darwin to take in the abundance of Hammerhead Sharks and Whale Sharks. Awesome!
Check out the pictures and video below which do a better job of showing you what it is all about - then decide when you can arrange a trip to see the place. A 'do before die' destination for sure.
[Update: it seems the Lammer Law is no longer operating in the Galapagos Islands, but there are many other quality companies providing similar facilities]
By Darrell Grundy - visited on 11 November 2005