Gorgeous GALAPAGOS

From giant-tortoise encounters to snorkelling with sea lions, experiencing the fauna and flora of this equatorial archipelago will inspire wonder for our world

- MADISON BOGISCH

Few places conjure as much as awe as the Galápagos. The remote volcanic archipelago, called ‘Las Islas Encantadas’ (the ‘Enchanted Islands’) by early explorers, captivated Charles Darwin, who spent five weeks here in 1835. The English naturalist marvelled at the unusual plant and animal life he encountered – species that had developed in isolation from the continent, but which often differed from island to island. The experience sparked his imagination, and featured prominently in his groundbreaking work, On the Origin of Species, which forever changed our understanding of natural history. On Isla Santa Cruz, the word Darwin seems to be everywhere: affixed to restaurants, clothing agencies – even the main waterfront street in Puerto Ayora. The most important ‘Darwin’ on the island, however, is the Charles Darwin Research Station. The road east of town ends at this expansive facility, where scientists breed giant tortoises and later release them into the wild. Naturalist guides lead tours past enclosures featuring a dozen or so species. The Exhibition Hall delves deeper into the lives of these astonishingly long-lived reptiles.

BEHEMOTHS OF THE HIGHLANDS