The Galapagos Islands
There is no doubt that the most popular part of our Ecuador tours are the Galapagos Islands, but they are far from mainland Ecuador, about 1,000 kilometers west of this South American country.
This natural wonder consists of an archipelago of hundreds of islands, 12 of which are very large and the rest are fragmented volcanic islands. Charles Darwin’s visit in 1835 brought international attention to the island, which is a must-see for any wildlife lover.
Galapagos was the source of inspiration for his early theories of evolution and his book On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection. When you visit the Galapagos Islands, you will see unique flora and fauna, especially adapted to the challenging terrain. Some of the wildlife you will see are cacti, plants, tortoises, sea lions, unusual marine iguanas, and thousands of species of seabirds and land birds. In fact, birders will especially enjoy these Ecuador tours, which include such adorable species as the capuchin nightingale, Spanish nightingale, Galapagos hawk, Nazca boobies, Galapagos doves, American oystercatcher, yellow warbler and, of course, the majestic red-billed tropicbird
Little is known about the history of the Galapagos Islands and whether they were visited by pre-Columbian cultures, although some ceramic artifacts have been discovered. Far from the coast, it is believed that the Inca Empire could hardly have visited them, as they were not seafarers of great importance. Europeans discovered the islands in the 16th century when a ship bound for Peru encountered bad weather and landed.
For more than 300 years after their discovery in Europe, the Galapagos Islands were home to pirates eager to enrich themselves at the expense of the Spanish and then the whalers who used the islands, and that’s basically it. Ecuador annexed the islands in February 1832. Like many other South American countries, Ecuador had to fight for and win independence in the early 19th century. With its powerful neighbors at that time, Ecuador was still a small but endless landscape. With the same diversity and list of species known as habitat, it is one of the most biodiverse countries on Earth. In the early 20th century, some Europeans began to settle on the islands and a U.S. military base was established there.
Fortunately, in 1959, Ecuador declared most of the Galapagos Islands a national park.